Report Shows Missouri Continues To Struggle With Its Pregnancy-Related Deaths

(Missouri Net)  A new report shows Missouri continues to struggle with its pregnancy-related death rate.

The report says the top causes of pregnancy-related deaths in Missouri are mental health, including substance misuse, cardiovascular problems, and homicide.

The report, by Missouri’s Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Board, is from 2018 to 2020 data. It says the death rate was 32 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is up from the previous report’s rate of 25.

The board says an average of 70 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy, with the highest number, of 85 deaths, recorded in 2020. Eighty-four percent of pregnancy-related deaths were determined to be preventable, which is nine percent higher than the last multi-year report.

Black Missouri women are three times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than white women.

The number of suicide deaths doubled from the previous report.

Missouri women on Medicaid are 10 times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than those with private insurance.