Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

PREGNANCY-RELATED DEATHS

CDC VITAL SIGNS TOWN HALL TELECONFERENCE

Division of Reproductive Health
• Welcome : Shanna Cox, Associate Director for Science, Division of Reproductive Health, CDC

• Presentations: 

o Emily Petersen, MD, FACOG

LCDR, U.S. Public Health Service

Division of Reproductive Health, CDC

o Shannon Lightner, MPA, MSW

Deputy Director, Illinois Department of Public Health

Office of Women’s Health and Family Services

o Laurie Baksh, MPH 

Manager, Maternal and Infant Health Program

Utah Department of Health

• Closing Remarks

• Questions

AGENDA
LCDR EMILY E. PETERSEN, MD, FACOG

MEDICAL OFFICER, MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH BRANCH 

DIVISION OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

US PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 

PREGNANCY-RELATED DEATHS, UNITED STATES, 2011–2015, 

AND STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTION, 13 STATES, 2013–2017
BACKGROUND

• Approximately 700 women die each year in the US due to complications 

of pregnancy

• Objectives

―Describe timing and characteristics of pregnancy-related deaths

―Describe preventability, contributing factors, and prevention 

strategies
PREGNANCY MORTALITY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (PMSS): 

ENHANCED SURVEILLANCE

• ACOG/CDC Maternal Mortality Study Group (1986)

• All 50 states, NYC, DC

• Based on death certificates, linked birth or fetal death certificates, and 

other information as available

• Review each case and determine whether related to pregnancy, and 

cause of death 

ACOG: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Pregnancy-related

‒ Complication of pregnancy

‒ Aggravation of a unrelated condition by the physiology of pregnancy

‒ Chain of events initiated by the pregnancy

• Pregnancy-related mortality ratio (PRMR; deaths per 100,000 births)

PREGNANCY MORTALITY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (PMSS)
MATERNAL MORTALITY REVIEW COMMITTEES (MMRCS)

• Multidisciplinary teams at state or local level

• Data sources include vital records, medical records, autopsy reports, 

social service records, etc.

• 13 states included in this report: 

― Arizona (2016), Colorado (2014–2015), Delaware (2013–2017), Florida (2017), 

Georgia (2013–2014), Hawaii (2015–2016), Illinois (2015), Mississippi (2016–

2017), North Carolina (2014–2015), Ohio (2013–2016), South Carolina (2014–

2017), Tennessee (2017), and Utah (2015–2016)
BLACK AND AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE WOMEN WERE 

~3 TIMES AS LIKELY TO DIE FROM PREGNANCY-RELATED CAUSES 

AS WHITE WOMEN

Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, 2011-2015

PRMR = number of pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 births

Women identified as white, black, American Indian/Alaska Native, or Asian/Pacific Islander were not Hispanic. Hispanic women could be of any race.

17.2

42.8

32.5

14.2 13.0

11.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

All

race/ethnicities

Black American

Indian/Alaska

Native

Asian/Pacific

Islander

White Hispanic

Race/Ethnicity

Preg

nancy-Related

M

ortality

Ratio
PREGNANCY-RELATED DEATH CAN HAPPEN THROUGHOUT 

PREGNANCY, AND UP TO ONE YEAR AFTER DELIVERY

• Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, 2011-2015

• Excludes 420 of 3,410 pregnancy-related deaths due to unknown timing 

During pregnancy

31%

43-365 days postpartum

12%

7-42 days postpartum

21%

1-6 days postpartum

19%

Day of delivery

17%
HIGHLIGHTED RESULTS, PMSS, 2011–2015

• Timing of deaths did not significantly differ between black and white 

women for most periods

―Except: greater proportion of deaths among black women (15%) 

occurred 43-365 days postpartum compared to white women (10%) 

• Heart disease and stroke (cardiomyopathy, other cardiovascular disease, 

cerebrovascular accidents) caused over one-third pregnancy-related deaths
Leading causes of death varied by timing

3 most frequent causes of pregnancy-related deaths by timing. Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, 2011-2015. Petersen EE, et al. MMWR 2019;68:423-9. 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

During pregnancy Day of delivery 1-6 days postpartum 7-42 days postpartum 43-365 days postpartum No

n-cardiov

ascular disease

No

n-cardiov

ascular disease

Infection

Cer

e

brov

ascular accid

e

nt

Cardiov

ascular disease

Cardiov

ascular disease

Cardiov

ascular disease

Cardiov

ascular disease

He

morrh

a

g

e

InfectionInfection

He

morrh

a

g

e

A

m

niotic fluid

e

m

bolism

Hy

p

erte

nsi

v

e

disord

ers of

pre

g

n

a

ncy

Cardiom

yop

ath

y

P

ercent of

pre

g

n

a

ncy-relate

d

d

e

aths p

er ti

m

e

p

eriod

Time period
HIGHLIGHTED RESULTS, 13 STATE MMRCS, 2013–2017

• Approximately 3 in 5 deaths were determined to be preventable 

―Preventability did not vary by race/ethnicity (black, white, Hispanic)

―Preventability did not vary by timing of death

• Contributing factors and prevention strategies were identified at the 

provider, patient, community, health facility, and systems levels

―3-4 contributing factors were identified on average per death

―2-3 prevention strategies were identified on average per death
MMRC-IDENTIFIED PREVENTION STRATEGIES

►Healthcare providers can

• Help patients manage chronic conditions

• Communicate about warning signs

• Use tools to flag warning signs early so 

women can receive timely treatment

►Health facilities can

• Standardize coordination of care and 

response to obstetric emergencies

• Train non-obstetric providers to consider 

recent pregnancy history

13 state Maternal Mortality Review Committees, 2013-2017

►Women and their families can

• Know and communicate about symptoms of 

complications

• Note pregnancy history any time medical 

care is received in the year after delivery

►States and communities can

• Assess and coordinate delivery hospitals for 

risk-appropriate care

• Support review of the causes behind every 

maternal death
IMPROVING POPULATION HEALTH OF WOMEN

MMRCs

PQCs

Title

V

AIM

Facilitybased 

SMM 

review
Illinois Maternal 

Mortality Review: 

Data to Action

Shannon Lightner, 

Illinois Department of Public Health

Office of Women’s Health and Family Services

15
History of Maternal Mortality Review in IL

• Maternal mortality reviews in Illinois began through 

regionalized perinatal centers in 1980s

• Convened state-level Maternal Mortality Review Committee 

(MMRC) in 2001

– Reviews pregnancy-associated deaths from medical causes that are 

potentially related to pregnancy

• MMRC for Violent Deaths (MMRC-V) formed in 2015

– Reviews pregnancy-associated deaths due to homicide, suicide, or 

drug overdose 

16
Move Towards Population Health

• In 2016, IDPH sought technical assistance from the CDC to 

strengthen/expand our reviews

• Key opportunities for process improvement:

– Ensuring that case reviews include all pregnancy-related deaths

– Shifting from a clinical focus to a population health focus

– Providing more structured administrative and technical support to 

the MMRCs

– Systemizing procedures, particularly for case abstraction, data 

collection, and analysis

17
Redesigned MMRCs

IDPH redesigned the MMRCs, with seven objectives: 

1. Ensure population-based state-level reviews

2. Improve timeliness of reviews

3. Develop sustainable systems for data collection and abstraction

4. Improve review efficiency and focus

5. Widen and diversify committee membership 

6. Generate public health focused recommendations

7. Use data to identify trends, emerging issues, and action steps 

18
Process for Creating Recommendations

• For every preventable maternal death that was reviewed, the MMRCs 

developed recommendations that may have prevented the death

• Recommendations were based on the critical factors identified in each 

case

• IDPH and the two MMRCs worked to refine and prioritize the 

recommendation list based on feasibility and impact

• The final recommendation list was unanimously passed by the two 

MMRCs in October 2018

19
Report Overview

• In October 2018, IDPH published the first “Illinois 

Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report” based 

on 2015 deaths using new approach

• Purpose of Report

– Raise awareness about issues contributing to 

maternal morbidity and mortality

– Demonstrate the commitment of Illinois to 

addressing maternal health

– Deliver a “call to action” for preventing future 

maternal deaths

20 http://dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/publications/publications

owhmaternalmorbiditymortalityreport112018.pdf
Timing of Pregnancy-Associated Deaths

16%

24%

56%

4%

Pregnant at Death

0-42 Days Postpartum

43-364 Days Postpartum

Exact Timing Unknown

21

• Because more than half of 

pregnancy-associated 

deaths occurred later than 

42 days postpartum, it is 

important to continue 

tracking and monitoring 

deaths out to one full year 

after pregnancy

Data Sources: IDPH Maternal Death Tracking Data
Timing of Pregnancy-Related Deaths, 2015

14%

53%

33%

Pregnant at Death

0-42 Days Postpartum

43-364 Days Postpartum

22

• Two-thirds of pregnancyrelated deaths occurred 

during pregnant or within 

one year of pregnancy

• One third of pregnancyrelated deaths occurred 

beyond the traditional 42 

day postpartum window

Data Sources: Illinois MMRC and MMRC-V Data, 2015
Timing of Violent Pregnancy-Associated Deaths, 

2015

11%

18%

11%

28%

29%

3%

Pregnant at Death

0-2 months postpartum

3-5 months postpartum

6-8 months postpartum

9-11 months postpartum

Exact Timing Unknown

23

• Less than one third of 

violent deaths occurred 

while the woman was 

pregnant or in the first 

three months postpartum

• More than half of violent 

deaths occurred at least 6 

months after pregnancy

Data Sources: IDPH MMRC-V Data, 2015
Opportunities for Prevention: 

Looking More Broadly at the Postpartum Period

• Access to care, especially specialty care and behavioral health services, is still an 

issue, even for women with insurance

• Providers do not know where to refer postpartum women with mental health and 

substance use disorders

• Inadequate provider skill reduces the quality of care and there is a need to educate 

all provider types who treat postpartum women

• There is limited public awareness about postpartum health problems and concerns

• Lack of care coordination is a universal issue for all women

• Hospitals lack clear policies and procedures around the identification and 

treatment of postpartum women; policies are not consistent across hospital 

departments

24
Recommendation Audience

• Recommendations were developed to target five audiences:

– Hospitals

– Healthcare providers

– Health insurance plans and managed care organizations (including Medicaid)

– State of Illinois (including legislature, public health, human services)

– Women and their families/friends

• The report shows how all of these groups have a shared role in the 

promotion of women’s health and the prevention of maternal mortality

25
Data to Action

• 15 bills addressing maternal morbidity and mortality introduced in the 

State Legislature

• Philanthropic community discussing ways to come together to prioritize 

maternal mortality recommendations

• Home visiting programs targeting infants are training home visitors on 

how to assess mothers

• Invited to give over 20 presentations with diverse audiences (early 

childhood providers, medical students/residents, public policy 

practitioners)

26
MATERNAL MORTALITY AND 

MENTAL HEALTH

Utah Perinatal Mortality Review

Laurie Baksh, MPH 
MATERNAL MORTALITY REVIEW IN UTAH

• Utah’s Perinatal Mortality Review Committee was established in 1995

• Retrospectively reviewed cases from 1984-1994 and subsequent years through 2019 

• Case data was held in self-developed Access database until 2014

• Cases from 2015 forward abstracted and reviewed using the Maternal Mortality 

Review Information Application (MMRIA) system
DETERMINING RELATEDNESS
2015 – UTAH CHANGE IN DETERMINATION

• Developing concern about the number of maternal suicide and overdose deaths 

being reviewed

• Increased understanding that mental health conditions may be aggravated during 

pregnancy and the postpartum year

‒ Colorado paper on maternal deaths from suicide and overdose

• New expertise on committee

• As a result, the Utah PMR made the decision to develop standard criteria for 

determining pregnancy-relatedness in suicide and overdose deaths

• Implemented this change in review process beginning with the 2015 maternal deaths
ADDITION OF EXPERTISE TO COMMITTEE

• The PMR committee added expertise in mental health and substance use disorders 

to the committee

‒ LCSW – Provider of maternal mental health intensive outpatient services

‒ Representation from the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

‒ Representation from the Violence and Injury Prevention Program

‒ Added representation when suicides are reviewed

‒ Medical expertise in perinatal addiction and mental health
UTAH CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING PREGNANCY RELATEDNESS 

IN SUICIDE AND OVERDOSE DEATHS

• Pregnancy Complications

‒ Increased pain leading to self harm and/or use of prescribed or illicit drugs

‒ Traumatic event in pregnancy or postpartum with a temporal relationship between 

the event leading to self-harm or increased drug use and subsequent death

‒ Pregnancy related complication likely exacerbated by drug use leading to 

subsequent death
UTAH CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING PREGNANCY RELATEDNESS 

IN SUICIDE AND OVERDOSE DEATHS

• Chain of events initiated by pregnancy

‒ Cessation or attempted taper of substance use treatment/pharmacotherapy for 

pregnancy-related concerns leading to maternal destabilization, self-harm and/or drug 

use and subsequent death

‒ Cessation of medications due to pregnancy-related concerns

‒ Postpartum depression, anxiety or psychosis resulting in maternal destabilization, self 

harm and/or drug use

‒ Recovery/stabilization achieved during pregnancy or postpartum with clear statement 

in records that pregnancy was a motivating factor with subsequent relapse and 

overdose due to decreased tolerance and/or multiple drug use
UTAH CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING PREGNANCY RELATEDNESS 

IN SUICIDE AND OVERDOSE DEATHS

• Aggravation of an unrelated condition by the physiologic effects of 

pregnancy

‒ Worsening of underlying depression, anxiety or other psychiatric condition in 

pregnancy or postpartum period with documentation that mental illness led to selfharm and/or drug use

‒ Exacerbation, under-treatment or delayed treatment of pre-existing condition in 

pregnancy or postpartum leading to self-harm and/or use of prescribed or illicit 

drugs

‒ Medical conditions secondary to drug use in setting of pregnancy or postpartum 

that may be attributable to pregnancy-related physiology and increased risk of 

complications leading to death
PREGNANCY-RELATED DEATHS, UTAH, 2015-2016

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Accidental drug-related Suicide Obstetric Complications Other medical conditions

N

umber 

of Maternal Deaths
PREGNANCY-RELATED MORTALITY, UTAH AND U.S., 

2013-2016
MENTAL HEALTH FINDINGS

An analysis of maternal deaths between 2015-2016 noted that 75% of pregnancyassociated deaths had a pre-existing mental health condition noted in the medical record
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

• SUD/mental health and OB providers should co-manage patients

• Improve availability and use of Naloxone

• Prenatal and postpartum screening for mental health and substance use

• Standardized screening processes for mental health screening

• Educate on available resources, suicide response, use of EPDS

• Provider education on MAT 

• Provider education on appropriate medication management in pregnancy for mental 

health disorders
REVIEW TO ACTION

• 2019 legislative session – 3 year appropriations request to provide funding for maternal 

mental health initiatives in Utah

• Championed by the Utah Postpartum Support International policy committee

• Maternal mortality data cited in infographic materials given to legislators

• ACOG Section Chair and PMR member testified at committee hearing to champion the 

funding request. Cited data on deaths related to suicide and drug overdose in Utah

• Data was combined with powerful stories shared by women who experienced the 

impacts of mental health issues in pregnancy and postpartum - funding was provided.

• Added a new Maternal Mental Health Specialist to our Maternal and Infant Health 

Program who attends PMR committee

• Will also fund tele-mental health services for women living in rural areas of the state
REVIEW TO ACTION

• New state funding for perinatal addiction in rural areas

‒ Substance Use in Pregnancy Recovery Addiction Dependence (SUPeRAD) clinic -

Price

https://medicine.utah.edu/internalmedicine/epidemiology/parcka/index-superadprice.php

• Established a new maternal mental health subcommittee of the Utah Women and 

Newborns Quality Collaborative 

‒ Working to implement recommendations for standardized screening and referral 

• AIM – Next bundle will be the Obstetric Care for Women with Opioid Use Disorder

THANK YOU

• Jewel Maeda, CNM MPH – Perinatal Mortality Review Coordinator

Jmaeda@utah.gov

• Laurie Baksh, MPH – Maternal and Infant Health Program Manager

lbaksh@utah.gov
QUESTIONS
CLICK TO ENTER CONTACT INFORMATION

THANK YOU

• Click to enter your Division Name here