The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing new online materials in a comprehensive campaign to reduce maternal mortality and postpartum complications.
As part of the CDC’s Hear Her campaign, launched last year, the webpage resources are designed to lower the United States’s more than 700 annual pregnancy-related deaths, of which two-thirds could be prevented.
The United States has the highest maternal death rate of any industrialized country and is the only developed nation in which that rate is rising.
Dr. Romeo Galang
“Unfortunately, the number of deaths occurring during pregnancy around and after delivery has not improved over time,” said obstetrician-gynecologist Romeo Galang, MD, MPH, acting chief medical officer and associate director for health equity in CDC’s division of reproductive health in Atlanta. “But no matter when they occur, two of three are preventable.”
Each year, some 50,000 mothers experience adverse pregnancy-related effects that can affect their long-term health. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, approximately one in three maternal deaths occur within 1 week to 1 year of delivery.
Self-harm and drug overdoses are leading causes of maternal death and non-White minority mothers are more likely than Whites to die.
Other causes are postpartum complications of hypertension, even postpartum preeclampsia, cardiovascular problems, and infectious illness, said Dr. Galang. “These are all things we may see after pregnancy and we want to monitor for them and make women aware of them.”
According to the CDC, in the first week after delivery hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and infection were leading causes of death, while cardiomyopathy was the predominant cause 1 week to 1 year after delivery.
During maternity care
Obstetricians, obstetric nurses, midwives, and nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to educate pregnant and postpartum patients about recognizing urgent maternal warning signs, the CDC stated.
These harbingers of potential trouble include chronic or worsening headache, dizziness or faintness, altered vision, a fever of 100.4° F or higher, severely swollen hands or feet, thoughts of self-harming or harming the baby, and respiratory distress. Chest pain or tachycardia, a swollen abdomen, belly pain, nausea and vomiting, and extreme fatigue are also indicators of potential trouble.
Signs that occurred during pregnancy range from cessation or slowing of fetal movement to vaginal bleeding and fluid leakage.
The success of the Hear Her campaign will rely on an environment of trust, and it is important for obstetric care providers to build trust with patients at the outset of prenatal care and encourage mothers to share any concerns, the CDC stated. Ultimately, the best person to know her body is the woman herself, and her concerns should be heard and addressed.
But getting women to report symptoms may not be a given. “Many women and their family will attribute symptoms to the fact they’re having or have just had a baby, and there are other factors related to individual care providers and the health care systems they practice in,” Dr. Galang said.