Hear Her: CDC's Campaign on Urgent Maternal Warning Signs

Too many women in the United States die during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth. Every one of those deaths is a tragedy, all the more because more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths could be prevented.

CDC's Division of Reproductive Health is committed to a healthy pregnancy and delivery for every woman. Its Hear Her campaign supports CDC's work to prevent pregnancy-related deaths by spreading potentially life-saving messages about urgent maternal warning signs.

Listen when she says something is wrong

Every woman knows her own body better than anyone, and she can often tell when something does not feel right. Hear Her asks partners, friends, family, coworkers and health care providers, anyone who supports women during and after pregnancy, to really listen when she says something is wrong, and to act quickly. It could save a life.

"A woman knows their body best. Listening and acting upon their concerns during or after pregnancy could save a life," said Dr. Wanda Barfield, director of CDC's Division of Reproductive Health.

Goals

The campaign aims to raise awareness of urgent maternal warning signs during and after pregnancy and to improve communication between patients and health care providers by:

• increasing awareness of serious pregnancy-related complications and their warning signs;
• empowering pregnant and postpartum women to speak up about their concerns;
• encouraging the people around them to have important conversations;
• giving pregnant and postpartum women and health care professionals tools for life-saving conversations.

Who it is for

• women who are pregnant;
• women who have given birth in the past year;
• partners, family and friends who support them;
• health care professionals who care for pregnant and postpartum women.

The campaign is supported through a partnership with the CDC Foundation and funding from Merck through its Merck for Mothers program.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Hear Her Campaign: An Overview." https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/about/index.html
• CDC, urgent maternal warning signs: https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html; preventing pregnancy-related deaths: https://www.cdc.gov/maternal-mortality/index.html