Pregnancy Problems, Maternal Mortality at All-Time High
In October 2022, Whitney Reising Oliver, 22 weeks pregnant with her first child named Felix, tragically passed away along with her unborn son. As a lover of art, culture, music, and food, Oliver had called Chicago home for 17 years and worked with artists with developmental disabilities.
While unexpected, the death of a healthy individual, especially a pregnant woman, can be even more devastating. Unfortunately, maternal health care in the United States has long been subpar, with the country having one of the highest maternal mortality rates of any industrialized country.
According to a recent report by the National Center for Health Statistics, there has been an almost 60-year high in maternal deaths. In 2021, 1,205 pregnant women and postpartum moms lost their lives, accounting for a 40 percent increase in deaths compared to the previous year.
Cardiovascular conditions, infection, cardiomyopathy, and hemorrhaging were identified as the main causes of pregnancy-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While some have blamed women’s weight, advanced maternal age, or an inadequate amount of maternity care for high death rates, others argue that the system itself is to blame.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased pressure on pregnant women to get vaccinated, with studies showing that 62 percent of pregnant women have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine. However, some researchers have linked the increase in maternal mortality to the vaccine.
Although other factors including lockdowns, stress, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise and sunlight are at play, Dr. Stuart Fischbein, a southern Utah obstetrician with over 40 years of clinical experience, has argued that the COVID-19 vaccine is a contributing factor to maternal mortality rates.
As of March 10, 2023, there have been 1,533,181 reports of adverse events following the COVID-19 vaccines, including 34,725 deaths and 4,949 miscarriages. A study by a team of scientists, including three medical doctors and available as a pre-print, found that COVID-19 vaccines are much more reactogenic than flu vaccines and can cause a variety of adverse effects.
The COVID-19 vaccines’ safety when administered to pregnant women alongside other vaccines has not been established, and the synergistic effects of some vaccines’ ingredients are not known.
While experts continue to investigate the contributing factors behind maternal mortality rates, women and their doctors may need to exercise caution when considering vaccines and other medical options.
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