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Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
On October 24, 2023, IDPH released Illinois' third Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report.
The report identifies statewide trends in maternal deaths and provides recommendations to help prevent maternal mortality. The report is the culmination of work done by two IDPH committees, the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC), established in 2000, and the Maternal Mortality Review Committee for Violent Deaths (MMRC-V), established in 2015. Committee members aimed to gain a better understanding of the causes of maternal mortality, to develop statewide recommendations to prevent future maternal mortalities, and to determine whether the deaths were pregnancy-associated (occurring within one year due to any cause) or pregnancy-related (occurring within one year due to pregnancy).
IDPH remains committed to identifying and reviewing maternal deaths and morbidities and will build upon these findings and recommendations over the coming years. The subcommittees have started reviewing 2021 maternal deaths in an effort to identify changing trends and areas for statewide improvement with the ultimate goal of preventing maternal mortality.
Maternal Health as a Continuum
Health outcomes during pregnancy and the postpartum period occur across a continuum. Most women are healthy during pregnancy, meaning they experience a typical outcome with no complications. However, some women experience pregnancy complications, which may be minor or severe, and may cause significant short- and/or long-term consequences to a woman’s health. Severe complications are rare, with a relatively small number of women experiencing the most severe complication: death.
What is Maternal Morbidity?
Maternal morbidity refers to any pregnancy or delivery complication, which may be minor or severe. Maternal morbidities may cause significant short- and/or long-term consequences to a woman’s health.
What is Maternal Mortality?
Maternal mortality is the death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period, and it serves as a sensitive indicator of the quality of the health and health care of a community. Many different definitions of maternal mortality are used to track and analyze deaths in different contexts, but Illinois uses the following standard definitions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Pregnancy-Associated Death
The death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of the end of a pregnancy from any cause.
Pregnancy-Related Death
The death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of the end of a pregnancy from a pregnancy complication, a chain of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an unrelated condition by the physiologic effects of pregnancy.
Maternal Mortality Review Committees
IDPH supports two Maternal Mortality Review Committees, which:
- Identify cause of death
- Determine if the death was pregnancy-related
- Determine if the death was preventable
- Develop recommendations to prevent deaths
Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC)
Reviews deaths suspected to be medically related to pregnancy.
Maternal Mortality Review Committee on Violent Deaths (MMRC-V)
Reviews deaths resulting from homicide, suicide, or drug related causes.