Photo Credit: Shironosov

The US maternal mortality rate (MMR) increased significantly between 2014 and 2021, with a marked increase after 2019, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Zachary H. Hughes, MD, and colleagues examined changes in age distribution and US MMR between 2014 and 2021. Their analysis included data from women aged 15-44 years, identified from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder databases. During the study period, the mean age of women giving birth rose from 28.3 to 29.4 years, while the MMR increased significantly from 16.5 to 18.9 per 100,000 live births by 2019. MMR spiked to 31.8 by 2021. Change in maternal age distribution accounted for 36% of the total change in the MMR from 2014 to 2019 and 4% from 2019 to 2021. Between 2014 and 2019, there were significant increases in age-specific MMR components for those aged 25-29 years and 30-34 years. Except for those aged 19 years or younger, all five-year age strata saw increases in age-specific MMR from 2019 to 2021. Coauthor Sadiya Khan, MD, called for better national infrastructure and surveillance programs to understand the factors driving these increases.