The United States is the least safe place among all wealthy countries for women to give birth, a new report suggests.
The United States had a maternal mortality rate (the rate of women who died during pregnancy or in the moments or weeks after giving birth) of 22 per 100,000 live births in 2022.
This was the highest rate of the 14 high-income nations in Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania that were studied in the report.
This means that American women are nine times more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy compared to Swedish women and four times more likely than British women.
The graph above shows the maternal mortality rate by country. The rate is that of women who died during pregnancy, during childbirth or up to 42 days after childbirth with their cause of death related to pregnancy.
The report also found that the United States has the second-lowest number of midwives and gynecologists per live birth among high-income nations, which may be contributing to the country’s high maternal mortality rates.
According to estimates, up to a third of jobs are currently vacant.
Researchers note that the United States is the only country in the group of nations that does not require any type of paid maternity leave for pregnant women, which may explain the high suicide rate among new mothers in the United States.
The United States was also the only one that did not have universal health coverage, with An estimated eight million women, or 12 percent of those of reproductive age, are uninsured.
They said high medical expenses may also have played a role in some of the deaths.
The report looked at the maternal mortality rate, which is defined as deaths of women during pregnancy, childbirth or up to 42 days after childbirth. All deaths were related in some way to pregnancy.
The United States had the worst rate of the group overall, followed by Chile (14.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) and New Zealand.
At the other end of the scale was Norway, where no maternal deaths were recorded during 2022.
In second place was Switzerland, with 1.2 maternal deaths per 100,000, and in third place was Sweden, with 2.6.
The above shows pregnancy-related deaths in the US by when they occurred; most occur after childbirth.
The above shows the number of midwives and gynecologists per patient, with the United States having the second lowest number among wealthy nations.
Australia ranked sixth with a rate of 3.5 per 100,000 (or six times lower than the United States) and the United Kingdom ranked eighth.
The most common causes of death were severe bleeding, high blood pressure or infections, and cardiomyopathy, or heart disease.
Separate data also showed that the United States had the second-lowest number of midwives and gynecologists per live birth among high-income nations, increasing pressure on the medical system.
Chile has the largest supply of obstetricians, gynecologists and midwives, with 92 employees per 1,000 live births.
In the United States, there are only 16 obstetricians, gynecologists and midwives per 1,000 live births, according to the report, published by the New York City-based think tank Commonwealth Fund, which compared the maternal mortality rate in the United States with that of similar countries. .
The countries included in the report were: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.
The researchers used maternal mortality rate (MMR) data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to compare the nations.
Among the mothers who lost their lives after giving birth in the United States was Christine Fields, 30, of Long Island City.
She was admitted to Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn in November 2023 for her third delivery, but died hours later due to hemorrhage.
Jasmine Patton, 34, of Tennessee, died of liver failure after giving birth. Her family said there were questions about her death.
His family is now suing the hospital for $41 million, alleging he received careless and negligent care. They claim her mother suffered cuts to her blood vessels that caused internal bleeding.
And in another case, Jasmine Patton, 34, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died just two days after giving birth to her first child.
The mother, who had struggled to get pregnant for years before using IVF, described the cause of her death as liver failure.
His family said his death was “unexpected” and there were many questions about the death for doctors.