Increase Seen in Pregnancy-Related Death Ratios During COVID-19

FRIDAY, April 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- In the United States, pregnancy-related death ratios increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online April 2 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.Colleen L. MacCallum-Bridges, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues evaluated trends in pregnancy-related death ratios from 2018 to 2024 and examined the contribution of COVID-19 to these trends in an observational study using vital statistics data. The annual pregnancy-related death ratio was calculated for girls and women aged 15 to 49 years and was compared across the prepandemic (2018 to 2019), pandemic (2020 to 2022), and postpandemic (2023 to 2024) periods.The researchers noted 8,298 pregnancy-related deaths from 2018 to 2024 (32.3/100,000 live births). The early pregnancy-related death ratio increased by 7.5 deaths per 100,000 live births from the prepandemic period to the pandemic period, and the late pregnancy-related death ratio increased by 3.7 deaths per 100,000 live births. COVID-19-associated deaths accounted for most of this increase (76 and 50 percent of the early and late pregnancy-related death ratios, respectively). The early pregnancy-related death ratio had returned to prepandemic levels by 2023 to 2024, while the late pregnancy-related death ratio remained elevated (1.4 additional deaths per 100,000 live births). During the pandemic, most subgroups experienced an increase in early and late pregnancy-related death ratios, but recovery varied; these ratios remained elevated among non-Hispanic Black mothers in the postpandemic period compared with the prepandemic period."Our findings show that COVID-19-related deaths drove much of the increase during the pandemic," senior author Lindsay K. Admon, M.D., from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, said in a statement. "They also highlight persistent racial disparities in maternal deaths. While progress has been made, more work is needed, especially to reduce later postpartum deaths and improve outcomes for Black mothers.”Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Increase Seen in Pregnancy-Related Death Ratios During COVID-19

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