In this week's News Roundup:
- Near-Miss Mothers: For Every Woman Who Dies Post-Childbirth, Thousands More Come Close
- Surging Opioid Overdose Rate in Latinos Tied to Language Barriers
- More Transgender-Inclusive Healthcare is Essential
Near-Miss Mothers: For Every Woman Who Dies Post-Childbirth, Thousands More Come Close
The maternal mortality rates in the U.S. are grim, but the number of women who suffer postpartum complications that nearly cause death are even worse. For every woman who dies after childbirth, at least 70 come close. Some estimates put the number of women who suffer "severe maternal morbidity" at around 80,000 per year. A report by NPR/ProPublica finds that many of these complications are preventable, and there's a common theme that postpartum mothers don't feel their concerns are taken seriously by healthcare providers.