This is probably not the only reason, but this is certainly one.

Add to this the fact that too many women do not get the pregnancy care they need and lack maternity leave.

all play a role.

They present in pregnancy. They usually deliver large-for-gestational age babies, and if too large, a c-section will be done, sometimes without a trial of labor. More c-sections typically means more risks for recovery, establishing breastfeeding, etc.

so it's all the women's fault that they are dying in childbirth.

Guess we need to make rules: No fat chicks, no old chicks, no c-sections.

God forbid we, as women, expect decent medical care, even if we're fat or old or have complications.

You might start with the CDC.

Just know that getting pregnant while obese, while much older than average, or while having other confounding issues will increase your chance of dying, despite years of medical advances.

I'm tired of people complaining about medicine when they are the biggest factor in why their particular situation didn't go right.

Actually, it's going up for different reasons. First, the high deductible ACA policies don't allow women to access prenatal care. Nobody with a high deductible can afford to get sick or need care unless they're dying right then and there. Second, for the lucky women who have good access to health care, interventions during birth are overdone. There are too many surgical births in this country that don't need to be done. Third, for all births, discharges from the hospital are happening too soon, before some complications can be picked up.

Clearly, insurance company driven health care is failing most of us. Midwives are underutilized, deliveries going to doctors who feel time constraints and intervene surgically when what the mother needs is time to deliver normally. It's not working and it's getting worse every year.

getting enough exercise or eating as well as we should.

Or getting access to affordable, prenatal and women's healthcare as we should...

I had issues during both of my labor and deliveries, and I'm very grateful that I had coverage and access to excellent care.

It is immoral that everyone is not afforded the same. Health care access for all is my #1 issue.

WHO uses 42 days. The CDC uses one full year.

So depending on how the country defines maternal mortality for reporting purposes, that definition can have a drastic impact on the reported rates.

So much infighting amongst both sides who think that only their stance causes these deaths, and that every other contributing factor doesn't do shit.

Increased access prenatal care? This would help no doubt, but looking at the statistics for deaths it's going to more beneficial to AA women than any other group. It'll do pretty much nothing for other racial groups. Of course, admitting to this will to some people mean you're racist against other minority women - Hell, depending on what website you're visiting you might even be accused of being racist against white women for daring to admit to this.

Medical complications arising from obesity and other loosely related diseases? It fits with the statistics - The older causes of maternal death, ones that are traditionally considered to be the result of poor quality healthcare, are drastically falling... while disease related maternal deaths are popping up to replace em. Of course, listening to the advice of medical professionals today means that you're a sexist fat shaming pig.

Is it any surprise how shitty things are getting when we're fighting amongst ourselves so much? We can't even decide on the cause, and many here are willing to throw the medical professionals - The very people who we should be listening to in regards to medical issues - under the bus all in the name of equality.