Nearly half of maternal deaths in Pennsylvania occur more than 6 weeks after giving birth |
For too many women, the journey to motherhood ends in death. Maternal mortality – the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of giving birth – is not a rare tragedy. Globally, the maternal mortality rate is unacceptably high – about 260,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023. In the U.S., it is also an ongoing crisis.
The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality among high-income countries.
Globally, the most common indicator used to measure maternal deaths is the maternal mortality ratio. This is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Estimates show that the U.S has a maternal mortality ratio of 17 – compared to 1 in Norway, 2 in Poland and Australia, 3 in Spain and Japan, and 4 in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. The U.S. number is more in line with Bahrain and Egypt, where resources are far more limited than in America.
The maternal mortality ratio for non-Hispanic Black women in the U.S. is even higher – 50.3 per 100,000 live births compared to 14.5 among white moms.
Pennsylvania offers a useful lens for examining this crisis at the state level. Recent data shows mental health conditions accounted for nearly half of pregnancy-associated deaths in Pennsylvania, with overdose and substance use disorders as the primary causes of death. Nearly 70% of maternal deaths in Pennsylvania occurred after childbirth, including 48% between six weeks and one year postpartum.
The Pennsylvania maternal mortality........