Addressing the ever-present racial disparities in maternal health

In the United States, Black women face poor maternal health outcomes that are disproportionately higher than other groups of women. Specifically, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications compared to white women, more likely to have fibroids and develop higher blood pressure disorders such as preeclampsia and eclampsia during pregnancy, and more likely to experience a preventable pregnancy-related death compared to white women.

Among other health complications that pregnant Black women face at high rates, several questions remain considering why they face this disparity: what causes Black women to face maternal health issues at such high rates? What can be done to prevent Black women from facing such high-risk health issues?