Having a baby can be more dangerous than a lot of Arizona people think. The United States has a relatively high maternal death rate compared to other first-world countries. In fact, women who give birth at hospitals in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from birth-related complications than women who give birth in hospitals in Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic or Great Britain.
The maternal death rate in the U.S. has improved significantly compared to what it was one hundred years ago. Before the 1930s, almost one in every 100 live births resulted in the mother’s death. By 1987, advances in medicine had caused the maternal death rate in the U.S. to decline by nearly 99 percent. However, researchers have found that the maternal death rate in the U.S. has started to rise over the past 25 years.
Between 2003 and 2013, there were only eight countries in the world that saw their maternal death numbers go up. These countries included the United States, Afghanistan and South Sudan. It is unclear what is causing the maternal death rate to rise in the U.S., but there are quite a few theories. Some people believe it is because U.S. women are having their babies at older ages. Others blame the increase in the use of cesarean section deliveries or chronic health conditions like obesity.
Many women have complications during pregnancy and birth, but there are medical interventions that can help to significantly lower the chances of death. If a doctor does not properly identify pregnancy complications or provide a woman with the proper standard of care, the doctor could be held liable for the woman’s pregnancy-related hospital injuries or death. A medical malpractice attorney might be of assistance to those in this position who are seeking compensation for the damages that they have sustained.