Black women have been disproportionately impacted by a pandemic-related increase in pregnancy-related deaths, sharply during the COVID-19 period, a new study reports.
Death remains noticeably higher today for black mothers, even though they have returned to pre-pandemic levels for most other groups, the University of Michigan researchers reported in a journal published on April 14, 2026.
As per a team member, they noticed a dramatic rise in pregnancy-related deaths during the COVID-19 period, but the recovery has not been equal across all groups. They need to understand better what is driving the differences so they can develop solutions that help reduce maternal deaths and improve outcomes for everyone.
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To analyze the current study, the investigators measured pregnancy-related mortality before the onset of the pandemic, during the pandemic, and in the immediate post-pandemic period, in 2-year intervals.
A total of 8,298 pregnancy-related deaths were documented in the period from 2018 to 2024, or an average rate of 32 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the study team.
The findings indicated that pregnancy-associated deaths increased by more than 60% during the pandemic years compared to 2019, going up from 20 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019 to 33 per 100,000 in 2021.
It was observed that nearly all of the pandemic-related increase in maternal mortality was attributed to deaths related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with early pregnancy mortality increasing by 7.5 per 100,000 live births and later pregnancy mortality increasing by 3.7 per 100,000 live births.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is an urgent need to understand how both pandemic and post-pandemic policies have affected maternal health. The work can help guide public health and policy efforts to lessen pregnancy-related deaths and boost health equity for mothers, children, and families.
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