The maternal mortality rate in the United States increased significantly in 2021

The United States has seen a 40% increase in maternal mortality rates from 2020 to 2021, according to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This large increase builds on a trend of steadily increasing maternal deaths in recent years in the United States.

The report is based on data from the National Vital Statistics System, which tracks births and deaths in the United States. Maternal mortality is defined by the World Health Organization as “the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy”, but excludes deaths unrelated to pregnancy or its complications associated.

According research by the Commonwealth Fundthe United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy country by a significant margin, with more than three times as many deaths as runner-up France.

In the United States, the number of maternal deaths has increased from 861 in 2020 to 1,205 in 2021. The CDC has also reported a disproportionate increase in maternal mortality rates for black women compared to white women, with approximately 70 deaths per 100,000 live births, up from 55 deaths in 2020. That’s more than double the rate for white women in 2021, who had about 27 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Experts attribute the rise of the covid-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated inequalities that already existed in health care. “In terms of maternal mortality, this continues to highlight those structural and systemic issues that we have seen so clearly during the covid-19 pandemic,” Chasity Jennings-Nuñez at Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital said in an interview. with CNN. “Until we start to address these issues, even without a pandemic, we will continue to see numbers going in the wrong direction.”

The report also found a significant increase in the number of older women dying from complications related to childbirth and pregnancy. There were about 20 deaths per 100,000 live births among women under 25, compared to 139 for those 40 and over. Maternal mortality rates among people aged 40 and over have increased by 28% compared to 2020.