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Div. of Media Relations
1600 Clifton Road
MS D-14
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-3286
Fax (404) 639-7394 |
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Fact Sheet
The Magnitude of Maternal Morbidity During Labor and
Delivery, United States, 1993-1997
American
Journal of Public Health (April issue)
Danel, Berg, Johnson, and Atrash
Overview
- This is the first report of maternal morbidity during labor and
delivery in the United States.
- During the study period (1993-1997), almost 4 million women annually
gave birth. About 43 percent of these women had some kind of maternal
morbidity, which is defined as a condition that has an adverse impact on a
womans physical health during childbirth, beyond what would be expected
in a normal delivery.
- Maternal morbidity is a serious public health problem affecting nearly
1.7 million women annually. It can have an impact on fetal and infant
health and can lead to maternal death.
- Much maternal morbidity is preventable, and many conditions can be
managed to prevent death.
Methodology
- Data for this study came from the National Hospital Discharge Survey,
the major source of data on inpatient use of short-stay hospitals in the
United States.
- This study examined a total of 154,001 records of vaginal and cesarean
deliveries, representing 19,081,038 deliveries during 1993-1997.
- The study analyzed three categories of maternal morbidity:
- obstetric conditiona condition caused by the pregnancy itself or by
its management
- preexisting medical conditionan underlying condition that may be
aggravated by the pregnancy
- cesarean deliverya major surgical procedure
Key Findings
- Overall, 30.7 percent of women who gave birth (nearly 1.2 million
women annually) had an obstetric complication, a preexisting medical
condition, or both.
- Overall, 43 percent of women (nearly 1.7 million women annually) had
some kind of maternal morbiditythis includes the conditions mentioned
above plus cesarean delivery.
- Of the 1 million women who had at least one obstetric complication,
the most common problems were third- and fourth-degree lacerations, other
obstetric trauma including cervical lacerations and pelvic trauma,
preeclampsia and eclampsia, gestational diabetes, genitourinary infection,
postpartum hemorrhage, and amnionitis.
- The most common preexisting medical condition was chronic
hypertension.
- Even though some conditions were relatively rare, they nonetheless
affected thousands of women. For example, only 0.1 percent of women
experienced eclampsia during childbirth. However, that translated into
nearly 4,000 women who had this life-threatening condition every year.
Implications and Potential for Prevention
- The magnitude of the problem of maternal morbidity during labor and
delivery is greater than has been recognized previously. This is the first
study to describe the extent of the problem.
- Even though the prevalence of any specific problem may be low, the
overall burden of morbidity is high. Only 57 percent of women had a
delivery with no maternal morbidity.
- Primary prevention is possible for some complications. For others, the
goal is appropriate management to prevent them from becoming severe or
even life-threatening.
- Continued monitoring of this problem is important. For example, as the
average age of women who give birth rises, it will be helpful to track
complications associated with preexisting medical conditions
- National, state, and local policies should address the needs of women
during pregnancy, including the gaps in prevention programs and research.
To request a copy of the article, call Kelly Carr at 770-488-5131.
# # #
CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling
diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible
information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through
strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations.
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