Page 6 - OB Risks - Delivering the Goods (Part Two)

SVMIC Obstetrics Risks: Delivering the Goods

meaning they were 7.7 times more likely to die compared

to women under age 25. There were also discrepancies in
the mortality rate due to race and economic status, with the

maternal death rate for black women being more than double
that of white women, and the rate of maternity mortality rate for

Hispanic women being more than three times the rate of white
women. The overall conclusion was that many of these deaths
2
were preventable.

According to the CDC report, the leading causes of maternal
deaths in the United States are hemorrhage, pregnancy-induced

hypertension, embolism, infection, and other chronic medical
conditions. In pregnancies with abortive outcomes, ectopic

pregnancy is the leading cause of maternal death. Maternal
deaths and injuries also occur due to other medical conditions,

including cardiovascular and neurological problems, and other
underlying medical conditions. We will examine some of these
3
topics in chronological order from early term to postpartum.

Pregnancy of Unknown Location

A pregnancy of unknown location (PUL) is defined as a positive

pregnancy test, but without signs of either an intrauterine
pregnancy or extrauterine pregnancy. If transvaginal ultrasound
4
cannot identify an ectopic pregnancy, the pregnancy is initially
diagnosed as a PUL. Of note, PUL is not a diagnosis, but instead

a classification term for this occurrence. Sometimes there

2 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/u-s-finally-has-better-maternal-mortality-
data-black-mothers-n1125896
3 https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/ourstories/mchb75th/mchb75maternalmortality.pdf
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3881745/#:~:text=Pregnancy%20of%20
unknown%20location%20

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