Why Do Women Die During and After Childbirth?

 Posted on September 27, 2022 in Maternal Injuries

When a woman dies during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the 42 days following childbirth or the end of a pregnancy, it is considered a maternal mortality. Despite having access to some of the best healthcare in the world, American women suffer from maternal mortality at an alarmingly high rate compared to women in other wealthy, developed nations. Black American women are at a particularly high risk of falling victim to maternal mortality. Tragically, studies suggest that most of these deaths are due to preventable causes and pregnancy complications. 

When a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, her family is left to deal with overwhelming grief, suffering, and guilt. If your wife, daughter, or mother died as a consequence of poor medical care, you may be eligible to pursue compensation on her behalf. To learn more about ways that women commonly suffer from maternal mortality, read on. 

Leading Causes of Maternal Mortality

One of the unique reasons that American women die during pregnancy or childbirth is that the high cost of the American healthcare system prevents many women from seeking the comprehensive health care they need. This can cause the diagnosis of serious health conditions, such as pre-eclampsia, to be delayed or missed altogether. Other common causes of maternal mortality in the U.S. include: 

• Hemorrhaging
• Cardiovascular conditions 
• Infection
• Cardiomyopathy
• Embolism
• Preeclampsia and eclampsia
• Mental health conditions 

Many of these conditions are preventable - indeed, some studies suggest as many as 70 percent of hemorrhage-related deaths could be prevented. Surprisingly, data on causes of maternal mortality are only just beginning to be comprehensively tracked in the United States. Less than 10 years ago, every state was not even required to register whether a deceased patient was pregnant or postpartum. 

Instead, individual healthcare providers are responsible for carefully monitoring expectant, delivering, and postpartum mothers’ health statuses and anticipate potential sources of complications. For example, if a woman is presenting warning signs of pre-eclampsia and a doctor ignores them or misses them, the woman may develop full-blown eclampsia, which can quickly become fatal if left untreated. 

Schedule a Free Consultation with an Illinois Maternal Mortality Attorney

If your wife, daughter, or mother died during or after childbirth because of carelessness or negligence on the part of her healthcare team, you may be able to recover compensation for your loss. Even though this compensation will not bring back your loved one, it can help you recover from the financial impact of your loss and prevent people from falling victim to dangerously negligent medical care in the future. Call the offices of Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd. today at 312-462-4200 to schedule a free consultation with our compassionate Chicago maternal mortality attorneys. 

Source: 

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/05/health/us-women-health-care/index.html