Increasingly, US Moms are dying during childbirth or immediately following delivery.
This shouldn’t be happening. But it is. Why?
In 2011, only 18 states had a maternal mortality review board. By 2016, that number had doubled to at least 38 states, with 24 active. NH was one of the new states to add this. This board will review info on every maternal death in the state, to determining the causes of each maternal death.
So, what is the cause(s)?
This article blames the health of American women: They think maternal deaths are rising because of the rising toll of chronic diseases, specifically preexisting chronic conditions like heart disease (cardiovascular disease and cardiomyopathy) and diabetes, as well as hypertension and obesity.
The article mentions that black women are two to three times more likely to die, because prenatal care begins later, and they are more likely to have hypertension and obesity.
What else could be the cause(s)?
Americans work more hours than in other countries, and have less vacation time.
But what else are we doing differently than they are doing in other countries? Could it be what we are eating or drinking or injecting into our bodies?
- We eat far more genetically engineered foods (GMOs) than other countries. Could it be this process that changes our foods, or could it be the chemicals that are often connected with the growing process? We use more pesticides than other countries, including ones that have been banned in Europe.
- Chemicals used in our food production, as well as in our manufacturing processes, are polluting our water, air and soil.
- We allow more chemicals to be used in personal care products than is allowed in Europe.
Will the maternal mortality review board identify the causes? I suspect it will identify the disease(s) that are causing the complications before too long. But how long will it take to identify, and accept, the causes of these diseases?
What is our Federal government going to do about this? And what can we, on the state level, do to change these numbers?
http://www.vox.com/2016/8/8/12001348/more-women-dying-childbirth-america