Pregnancy-related Mortality in the United States

A pregnancy-related death is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy termination regardless of the duration or site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes. CDC’s Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System uses data from 52 U.S. reporting areas (50 states, New York City, and Washington D.C.) to identify and describe rates and causes of pregnancy-related death. Pregnancy-related mortality data for 2006 and 2007 (the latest data available) are summarized below, while data for previous years have already been published.^1-3

In the United States—

• Of the 3,319 deaths within a year of pregnancy termination that occurred in 2006 and 2007 and were reported to CDC, 1,294 were found to be pregnancy-related.
• The pregnancy-related mortality ratio was 15.1 deaths per 100,000 live births for the period 2006–2007.

Considerable racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist. During the 2006–2007 period, the pregnancy-related mortality ratios were—

• 11.0 deaths per 100,000 live births for white women.
• 34.8 deaths per 100,000 live births for black women.
• 15.7 deaths per 100,000 live births for women of other races.

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Causes of Pregnancy-related Death in the United States, 2006-2007

This graph shows percentages of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States in 2006–2007 caused by—

• Cardiovascular Diseases, 13.5%.
• Cardiomyopathy, 12.6%.
• Hemorrhage, 11.9%.
• Non-Cardiovascular Diseases, 11.8%.
• Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy, 11.1%.
• Infection/Sepsis, 11.1%.
• Thrombotic Pulmonary Embolism, 10.9%.
• Amniotic Fluid Embolism, 5.6%.
• Cerebrovascular Accidents, 5.3%.
• Anesthesia Complications, 0.6%.

Note: The cause of death is unknown for 5.6% of all 2006–2007 pregnancy-related deaths.

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Data Collection

Each year, CDC requests the 52 reporting areas (50 states, New York City and Washington D.C.) to voluntarily send copies of death certificates for all women who died during pregnancy or within one year of pregnancy, as well as copies of the matching birth or fetal death certificates if they have the ability to perform such record linkages. All the information obtained is summarized, and medically-trained epidemiologists make a determination as to the causal and temporal relationship of the death to the pregnancy. Causes of death are coded using a system established in 1986 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Maternal Mortality Study Group.

References

1. Berg CJ, Callaghan WM, Syverson C, Henderson Z. Pregnancy-related mortality in the United States, 1998–2005. Obstet Gynecol. 2010;116:1302–1309.
2. Berg CJ, Chang J, Callaghan WM, Whitehead SJ. Pregnancy-related mortality in the United States, 1991–1997. Obstet Gynecol. 2003;101:289–296.
3. Berg CJ, Atrash HK, Koonin LM, Tucker M. Pregnancy-related mortality in the United States, 1987–1990. Obstet Gynecol. 1996;88:161–167.