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Abnormally high maternal mortality among older U.S. women

Problems with data reporting on death certificates cited as probable cause

Building on previous research reporting a rise in U.S. maternal mortality rates, faculty associate Marian MacDorman and colleagues have found an abnormally high increase in maternal deaths among U.S. women aged 40 and over, and a 58% rise in maternal deaths from nonspecific causes. The magnitude of the increase points to serious data quality issues resulting from data collection errors, as Dr. Mac Dorman notes, "This increase in maternal deaths among women aged 40 and older is implausibly high and rapid, and we believe it has much to do with problems related to how information is collected at the time of death and with an over-reporting of maternal deaths.” 

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