(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, pregnancy-related deaths are on the rise in Michigan. An in-depth report by The Detroit News has drawn attention to the high number of women who are dying while pregnant or within months after giving birth.
This is an alarming trend that we’re seeing here in Michigan. State data show there are between 80 and 90 maternal deaths each year. However, that number has continued to rise over the past 13 years, and there was a 33.6 percent increase from 2019 to 2020.
Maternal deaths are categorized as either “pregnancy-associated” or “pregnancy-related.” Pregnancy-associated refers to deaths that occur for any reason during pregnancy, while giving birth, or within a year after the pregnancy ends. While “pregnancy-related” deaths are those that result from conditions related to or aggravated by the pregnancy.
Race and ethnicity factored into the latest statistics on Michigan’s pregnancy-associated deaths. For example, the mortality number for Indigenous women is almost twice as high as for White women. And, Black mothers are more than 75 percent more likely to die than White mothers.
Nationally, the numbers are high as well. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports nearly 4,300 mothers died between 2018 and 2022 due to pregnancy-related conditions.
Health experts say there is no reason for these numbers to be so high. Some estimate more than 80 percent of maternal deaths are preventable.
Health experts point to a number of reasons for these high maternal mortality rates. They include causes that are preventable, like complications from hypertension or hemorrhaging. These are conditions that doctors should address easily and early.
Another cause is underlying health conditions that weren’t treated before the woman became pregnant.
And another major reason, according to doctors and researchers, is medical racism. The CDC reports that women of color are more likely to be mistreated because of discriminatory medical practices and biased healthcare providers.
Here in Michigan, the state and numerous local agencies are working to lower the maternal mortality rate through policy recommendations, addressing racial disparities, education initiatives, and better wraparound services for mothers and mothers-to-be.
Again, experts agree, the majority of these maternal mortality cases are preventable.
This Week on The Dr. Nandi Show
All About Autoimmune Disease! A wide-ranging discussion of the modern epidemic that is autoimmunity. Dr. Tom O’Bryan details the broad spectrum of autoimmune disease and how to spot the signs of a problem before it’s too late. Also, Keesha Ewers discusses how suppressed emotions can morph into a physical disease, and much more. Join Dr. Partha Nandi, MD on Saturday, July 13th at 11:30 am.
