Texas Sees "Unusual" Spike in Pregnancy-Related Deaths, Study Finds

Texas has seen an “unusual,” dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy-related causes in the past five years, according to a new study.

The state’s rate of maternal mortality nearly doubled between 2010 and 2014, according to research published by the medical journal "Obstetrics and Gynecology." Although maternal mortality rates are up nationwide, no other state experienced such a sharp rise, the study’s authors found.

The researchers, led by Marian MacDorman, a professor at the University of Maryland Population Research Center, found that between 2000 and 2010, Texas saw only a “modest increase” in maternal mortality, from 17.7 to 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births.

The next year, Texas’ rate spiked, to 33 deaths per 100,000 live births, reaching “levels not seen in other U.S. states,” according to the study. That stood in sharp contrast with California, a state with a comparable population that has seen a steady decline in its maternal mortality rate over the last decade.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2016/08/19/texas-sees-unusual-spike-pregnancy-related-deaths-/