One In 4 Suffers Pregnancy Complications

One out of four women delivering babies in the United States suffers a serious complication such as obstructed labor, hemorrhaging or diabetes, according to a report released Tuesday on pregnancy-related illnesses and deaths.

The Safe Motherhood status report, compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the request of Rep. Patricia Schroeder, also indicates a lack of reporting and research.

Referring to figures that show 10 women died for every 100,000 live births in 1990, the Colorado Democrat said the report shows “strong evidence that we have been underestimating the rate of maternal mortality in the United States.”

A study prepared for the August issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology affirms her assertion. In it, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that more than half of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are “probably still unreported.”

Schroeder, who almost bled to death after giving birth 26 years ago, plans to introduce a package of legislation as one of her last actions before leaving Congress. Among other goals, the bills would mandate standardized reporting, more research, education campaigns aimed at women who plan to get pregnant, and accreditation standards for fetal ultrasound procedures.

“The time has come,” said Schroeder, who also miscarried twins 28 years ago. She said her physician kept dismissing her complaints that something was wrong. One twin had died in the womb, and she lost the other one when she went into premature labor. “The doctor said, ‘You’re just so high-strung,”’ she recalled.

The report shows that women are unnecessarily dying in childbirth or experiencing miscarriages. Schroeder blamed a culture in which women feel guilty complaining, physicians and others make light of women’s worries, and obstetricians and gynecologists are concerned about potential liability.