Black Maternal Health Week – Research Spotlight from the 2023 Annual Pregnancy Meeting
By: Dr. Marta Perez
As we close out the 6th annual Black Maternal Health Week (#BMHW23), maternal-fetal medicine physicians, like me, are again reminded of the importance in centering equity in our clinical care and research. It is no secret that Black women disproportionately experience negative maternal health outcomes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2020, the maternal mortality rate was three times higher for Black women than their white counterparts in the United States. These inequities are the result of multiple factors, many of which are systemic in nature.
To address racial inequities in maternal health for Black pregnant patients, as well as Indigenous and other pregnant patients of color, researchers are examining contributing causes to this health crisis and searching for solutions. Here are selected abstracts from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) 2023 Annual Pregnancy Meeting, all of which are published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Greenberg, et al found that perceived lifetime discrimination is associated with increased unplanned healthcare utilization defined as unplanned labor and delivery admissions and triage, emergency department, or urgent care visits.
Meiman, et al found that living in the most disadvantaged U.S. neighborhoods was associated with increased risk of postpartum readmission for women following the birth of their first child.
Tiako, et al examined a nationwide cohort undergoing vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and found that delivery hospital matters for VBAC success, with high Black serving hospitals associated with a 44% greater chance of successful vaginal delivery despite previous caesarean birth.
Kern-Goldberg, et al found that a multi-faceted, systematic, institution-level approach to decreasing severe maternal morbidities in Black patients improved outcomes for Black birthing people and reduced disparities in severe maternal morbidity.
Neighborhood matters! Venkatesh, et al found that patients with who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to have fetal growth abnormalities.
Hipwell, et al found that Black women experience more discrimination in the time before, during, and immediately after giving birth, which can impact birth outcomes.
Barry, et al found that neighborhood and diet quality are risk factors for adverse perinatal outcomes in Black pregnant people.
Research is critical to identify opportunities for clinicians, health systems, and policymakers to improve the health of Black mothers and their infants. Access all the scientific abstracts presented this year at no cost by visiting the SMFM website.
SMFM invites researchers and educators interested optimizing pregnancy outcomes for Black women to submit a proposal for the next Pregnancy Meeting, to be held February 10-14, 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Visit the SMFM website and submit your proposal by Monday, May 15, 2023.
Dr. Marta Perez is a member of the SMFM Communications Committee and a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. Before fellowship, she worked as an OBGYN Hospitalist in St. Louis. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter.