Maternal mortality is rare but has nearly doubled in the last decade. A death is considered a maternal mortality if it can be attributed to a delivery complication up to 42 days after delivery. The most common causes of maternal mortality are hemorrhaging, uncontrolled blood pressure and a fatal blood clot. The healthy community along with the federal government is alarmed at this spike in deaths especially after a more concentrated effort has been established to prevent such occurrences.
Pregnancies are changing in the United States and so far delivery procedures have been behind the curve. Almost one third of all deliveries are now cesarean which is a major surgery and can lead to more hemorrhaging than a vaginal delivery. Also women who have c-sections are more likely to have future babies also delivered by c-section which can be riskier than a second vaginal delivery. Women are also more likely to be obese than in the past leading to higher blood pressure and diabetes that can cause complications after delivery.
Perhaps the most startling cause of death is a deep vein thrombosis or DVT which is a blood clot in the leg that can be fatal if moves to the lung. Most pregnant women are not aware that a DVT can occur during pregnancy and after delivery but pregnancy naturally causes the body's blood to clot which can lead to problems. Women who have a c-section are more likely to suffer from DVT and hemorrhaging. Doctors and hospital must be vigilant in their attention to the patient to guard against these complications.
Currently there is not enough information available to determine why black women are three times more likely to suffer maternity mortality than white women.
Experts believe that close to half the deaths reported could have been prevented if delivery protocol would change to accommodate the changes in pregnancies.
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