About Pregnancy-Related Deaths in the United States

Key points

• Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
• American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women are more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than White women.
• CDC is working to reduce pregnancy-related deaths through the Hear Her campaign, perinatal quality collaboratives, and maternal mortality review committees.

Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.

Although deaths related to pregnancy are rare, too many women still die each year in the United States from complications due to pregnancy. In addition, there are considerable racial disparities. American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women are more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than White women. This is unacceptable.

Most of these pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Recognizing the urgent maternal warning signs, getting an accurate and timely diagnosis, and quality care can save lives.

Learn More

Learn about Disparities and Resilience among American Indian and Alaska Native Women who are Pregnant or Postpartum.

How is CDC Working to Reduce Pregnancy-Related Deaths?

In addition to the Hear Her campaign, CDC also supports the work of maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) to prevent pregnancy-related deaths. MMRCs are multidisciplinary committees that perform comprehensive reviews of deaths among women during and up to a year after the end of pregnancy.

Their work provides a deeper understanding of a woman's life circumstances and the events leading to her death. Findings help inform MMRC-developed recommendations for preventing future deaths. Learn more about CDC's support of MMRCs through the Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM) Program.

CDC also supports the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and several other perinatal quality collaboratives (PQCs). PQCs are state or multistate networks of teams working to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies. PCQs can implement processes that address the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths and translate recommendations from MMRCs into action.

In addition, the CDC Levels of Care Assessment Tool (CDC LOCATe) helps states and other jurisdictions create standardized assessments of levels of maternal and neonatal care to identify gaps and strengthen their systems of risk-appropriate care.

Learn More

Learn more about preventing pregnancy-related deaths.

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