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MATERNAL MORTALITY
Between 1970 and 1980, maternal mortality in the U.S.
decreased from 21.5 to 9.4 deaths per 100,000 live births,
a 56 percent
drop. However, from 1980-1998, the rate remained between
6 and 7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2000,
there were 396 maternal deaths related to complications
of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, a
rate
of 9.8 per 100,000 live births. While the number of maternal
deaths can vary from year to year, the change in the number
of maternal deaths since 1998 also reflects new classification
and coding of maternal deaths starting with 1999 data.
In
2000, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black
women (22.3 per 100,000 live births) was greater than
three times the rate for non-Hispanic White women (6.8
per 100,000
live births) and more than twice the rate for Hispanic
women (9.9 per 100,000 live births).
The risk of maternal
death increases with age. In 2000, women aged 35 and
older had nearly three times the risk
of death
as women aged 25-29 (22.7 and 7.9 per 100,000 live
births, respectively). Black women aged 35 and older had
the
highest rate of maternal mortality of approximately
63 deaths per
100,000 live births.
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