The U.S. maternal mortality rate is accelerating at an alarming rate, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine. The study found that maternal mortality rates almost doubled between 2014 and 2021, contradicting the widely believed hypothesis that maternal mortality is increasing largely due to people getting pregnant at older ages.

The study, led by Dr. Sadiya Khan, Magerstadt Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology and associate professor of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, revealed that maternal mortality increased across every age group. The greatest relative increases were observed among individuals aged 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 years old.

Contrary to the commonly held hypothesis, the research indicated that the spike in maternal deaths is not solely attributed to older maternal age. The average U.S. maternal age increased from 28.3 to 29.4 years old between 2014 and 2021, a well-established risk factor for maternal mortality. However, the overall maternal mortality rates in the U.S. nearly doubled during the same period, from 16.5 to 31.8, with the largest increase occurring from 2019 to 2021.

The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, emphasized the need to identify the underlying causes of the escalating maternal mortality rates. While the specific causes of death were not explored in this study, prior research, including work by Dr. Khan, has pointed to cardiovascular disease, such as hypertensive disorders, heart failure, and stroke, as a significant contributor to poor maternal health outcomes.

Dr. Khan stressed the importance of understanding the causes of maternal deaths and implementing preventive measures, as the majority of maternal deaths are preventable. She highlighted the need for improved national infrastructure and surveillance, in addition to state-level efforts such as maternal mortality review committees, to effectively address this concerning trend.