FEW things are more tragic than the death of a woman in pregnancy or childbirth. In America, as in other rich countries, such deaths are extremely rare. An American woman is more likely to be struck by lightning than to die in childbirth. Nonetheless, 700-800 pregnant women and new mothers die each year. By some measures, America’s maternal mortality is several times higher than in rich European countries. By other measures, however, America has the same rate as Britain.
One bit of the puzzle is what counts as a maternal death. The standard definition used in international comparisons, such as those published by the World Health Organisation, is a death from complications of pregnancy if the death occurs between the time a woman becomes pregnant and six weeks after her pregnancy ends.
In rich countries, these deaths are tallied from vital-registration systems which in turn compile data from death certificates. These, however, are known to undercount maternal...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2wprWSq
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