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Original poster

Maternal death rate in the UK

64 replies

ArabellaScott · 11/01/2024 23:12

https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/news/2486-maternal-death-rates-in-the-uk-have-increased-to-levels-not-seen-for-almost-20-years

Alarming news about maternal death rates, the highest they've been for 20 years.

Death rates for Black women are three times as high as for white women. Asian women are twice as likely to die in childbirth or shortly afterwards as white women.

Thrombosis was the most common reason for death.

Maternal death rates in the UK have increased to levels not seen for almost 20 years | NPEU

The latest set of data presented by the MBRRACE-UK Collaboration investigation into maternal deaths in the UK shows that the mortality rate for women who died during or soon after pregnancy has increased to levels not seen since 2003-05.

https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/news/2486-maternal-death-rates-in-the-uk-have-increased-to-levels-not-seen-for-almost-20-years?fbclid=IwAR1jt5O9171hmHfzM7i9kFrv0fiFVdidU3Xn2smEgQ5KEqog5r2OTwJjL7k

OP posts:
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Original poster
ArabellaScott · 12/01/2024 12:12

'October 2023

  • Main points
  • There was a statistically non-significant increase in the overall maternal death rate in the UK between 2018-20 and 2019-21. A statistically non-significant decrease occurred when deaths due to COVID-19 were excluded.
  • COVID-19 was the leading cause of maternal death in the UK in 2019-2021 during or up to six weeks after the end of pregnancy. Cardiac disease was the second most frequent cause of maternal death followed by thrombosis and thromboembolism and mental health-related causes.
  • There remains an almost four-fold difference in maternal mortality rates amongst women from Black ethnic backgrounds and an almost two-fold difference amongst women from Asian ethnic backgrounds compared to white women. These disparities are statistically unchanged from 2018-2020.
  • Women living in the most deprived areas have a maternal mortality rate more than twice as high as women living in the least deprived areas. This disparity is statistically unchanged from 2018-2020.
  1. Maternal mortality rates UK 2019-2021
  2. Overall, 261 women died in 2019-21 during or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy in the UK. The deaths of 20 women were classified as coincidental. Thus in this triennium 241 women died from direct and indirect causes, classified using ICD-MM (World Health Organisation 2012), among 2,066,997 maternities, a maternal death rate of 11.66 per 100,000 maternities (95% CI 10.23 – 13.23). This compares to the rate of 10.90 per 100,000 maternities (95% CI 9.53 – 12.40) in 2018-20 (rate ratio (RR) 1.07, 95% CI 0.89-1.29, p=0.4631 (Figure 1).
  3. Thirty-three of the women who died between March 2020 and December 2021 during or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy died from complications of COVID-19 infection. If these women's deaths attributable to COVID-19 are excluded, the maternal mortality rate for 2019-21 would be 10.06 (95% CI 8.74 – 11.53) lower than the corresponding rate for 2018-20 (10.47 (95% CI 9.13-11.95) but not statistically significantly so (RR 0.96 (95%CI 0.79 – 1.17), p=0.684) (Figure 1).'

https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/data-brief/maternal-mortality-2019-2021

Maternal mortality 2019-2021 | MBRRACE-UK | NPEU

The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) is a multidisciplinary research unit based at the University of Oxford. Our work involves running randomised controlled trials, national surveillance programmes and surveys, confidential enquiries, aetiol...

https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/data-brief/maternal-mortality-2019-2021

OP posts:
anyolddinosaur · 12/01/2024 10:46

Covid increases your thrombosis risk, not just when you have it but for some time afterwards. - at least 3 months. It also increases the risk of pulmonary embolism for 6 months. I dont think the impact of repeated infection has been properly investigated yet.

The reasons for this need to be properly studied because otherwise these figures will not improve.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 12/01/2024 08:21

ResisterRex · 12/01/2024 08:10

MNHQ has been tweeting about the APPG into birth trauma, which may be of interest here:

x.com/mumsnettowers/status/1745378987340087487?s=46&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

x.com/mumsnettowers/status/1734521880550252639?s=46&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

x.com/theodoraclarke/status/1744460213535617035?s=46&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

Thanks Rex. Maybe could use its own thread?

OP posts:
Crispsandwichrock · 12/01/2024 08:14

That's awful to read

NotBadConsidering · 12/01/2024 08:08

The NHS is an absolute disaster that too many people defend it as though it’s sacrosanct. It just stumbles from one scandal via persistent suboptimal care to another scandal year after year.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 12/01/2024 07:46

BeckyBloomwood3 · 11/01/2024 23:20

Maternity care in the UK is dire as shown by reports on 1/3 maternity units failing quality standards.
But I wouldn't take maternal death rates during the Covid years as an indication of anything.
So many resources diverted towards Covid, staff ill and off, etc etc. Similar is seen in other countries.

Covid was second or third cause of death iirc. But even after Covid related cases had been removed the stats had worsened.

OP posts:
ADoggyDogWorld · 12/01/2024 05:24

Thank you Arabella.

MrsOvertonsWindow · 11/01/2024 23:39

It's outrageous - but there's not the political will to change things. The NHS has presided over inadequate maternity services for decades now with no sign of sustained change and politicians just don't insist they prioritise this. Bet if the NHS was told that funding for Diversity staff / initiatives was dependent on all their maternity services being rated good - they'd manage it.
But tackling so many of the inbuilt issues that would save the lives of women and babies just doesn't get the plaudits that lanyards and flags receive.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12853775/Senior-midwife-tasked-probing-horrifying-NHS-maternity-scandals-criticises-extremely-disappointing-progress-making-safe-women-birth-Britain.html

Midwife tasked with probing NHS maternity scandals slams ministers

Donna Ockenden, who led the investigation into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, said the money provided so far was 'nowhere near good enough'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12853775/Senior-midwife-tasked-probing-horrifying-NHS-maternity-scandals-criticises-extremely-disappointing-progress-making-safe-women-birth-Britain.html

Helleofabore · 11/01/2024 23:37

Thanks Arabella. I will read this in the morning.

KnickerlessParsons · 11/01/2024 23:24

WanOvaryKenobi · 11/01/2024 23:17

Thrombosis is linked to being over 35 and being overweight, I wonder if that is a factor?

I'd say so, yes. Women are older and fatter having babies than they were even 30 years ago.
There are also a lot more IVF babies now too - often with multiple births.

BeckyBloomwood3 · 11/01/2024 23:20

Maternity care in the UK is dire as shown by reports on 1/3 maternity units failing quality standards.
But I wouldn't take maternal death rates during the Covid years as an indication of anything.
So many resources diverted towards Covid, staff ill and off, etc etc. Similar is seen in other countries.

WanOvaryKenobi · 11/01/2024 23:17

Thrombosis is linked to being over 35 and being overweight, I wonder if that is a factor?

Ereshkigalangcleg · 11/01/2024 23:15

That's shocking.

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