Overdoses and suicides are common causes of death for new mothers

Overdoses and suicides were among the most common causes of death for mothers less than a year after giving birth to a child in California, according to a new study from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. California, Merced.

The lead author, Sidra Goldman-Mellor, a psychiatric epidemiologist at UC Merced, and co-author Claire Margerison, a perinatal epidemiologist at MSU, have studied more than one million hospital registrations in California from 2010 to 2012 to study the most common causes of postpartum death.

The study is published in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

While maternal mortality rates during and after pregnancy are rising in the United States, California is below the national average. Nevertheless, drug overdose was the second leading cause of death for California mothers in the first year after delivery and suicide ranked seventh.

Together, both causes accounted for nearly 20% of all postnatal deaths in California during those years. The risk of postpartum mortality due to drug overdose and suicide was higher among non-Hispanic white women and low-income women.

These deaths are rare but devastating for families. We need to put more emphasis on prevention. "

Claire Margerison, Perinatal Epidemiologist at the MSU

Although both researchers agree that two years of data are not enough to identify trends, the study could be a starting point for future work on drug and suicide issues. related to maternal health. The research could also indicate what is happening in the United States.

"Reducing maternal mortality is a priority in the United States and around the world," said Goldman-Mellor. "Drug-related deaths and suicides may account for a large and growing share of maternal deaths, but information on the incidence and sociodemographic variation of these deaths is scarce."

Mortality rates have declined in recent years in California through concerted efforts to improve the quality of care, but researchers have pointed out that their data shows that mental health and addiction problems still affect many new mothers .

"Most of these deaths occur in the second half of the year after birth," Goldman-Mellor said.

It's for this reason, added Margerison, that the last post-natal period is an important time to continue providing women with substance abuse and mental health resources.

One of the reasons for these deaths could be the stigma and potential legal repercussions of admission and help for addiction problems or psychiatric problems, especially among new mothers, said Goldman-Mellor.

The researchers, who studied epidemiology together as postgraduate students at UC Berkeley, said they plan to work together to learn more about this topic and other topics related to the results. for maternal health.

Goldman-Mellor said new studies could allow researchers to better understand why some women were at greater or lesser risk of postpartum death due to drug overdose or suicide, including potential factors important to their socio-economic status, access to health care and cultural sources of support. .

In addition, about 75% of women who died during the first year had access to emergency rooms at least once after giving birth, and potential intervention points were also possible. to be identified.

"These deaths are probably just the tip of the iceberg in terms of substance use and mental distress," said Margerison. "We must take the following steps to understand how to help women who experience these problems during and after pregnancy."

Source:

University of Michigan

Journal reference:

Goldman-Mellor, S & Margerison, CA (2019) Maternal death and drug-related suicide are the leading causes of postpartum death in California. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2019.05.045.