It’s no secret that Black women have the highest mortality rates when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, but nevertheless, the health statistics are still alarming.
NBC reports that Black women who are expecting do not receive proper medical care from physicians.
In most developed nations, maternal deaths are declining. But the United States shows a different story. Since 1987, the number of maternal deaths has more than double, and the country now is home to one of the highest rates of maternal deaths in the develop world, according to the World Health Organization.
The CDC reports that roughly 50,000 women suffer from pregnancy complications, with Black women reportedly being three to four times more likely to die than White women during childbirth. According to researchers, there is no single cause for the issue as persistent poverty, lackluster or absent healthcare and higher factors such as high-blood pressure, obesity and diabetes tending to impact Black women at a higher rate.
“I think [these numbers are] unacceptable. I think they’ve been long standing disparities in maternal health and they’re becoming larger today in certain cities and it’s very concerning,” said Dr. Elizabeth Howell, Director of the Women’s Health Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital.
