Learn About These Symptoms of the Underlying Causes of Maternal Death
On her Vogue cover, Serena Williams shared how she nearly died after giving birth to her daughter Alexis, Olympia Ohanian Jr.
The day after the emergency caesarean section, she suddenly felt short of breath. With a history of blood clots (“Serena lives in fear of blood clots,” the story says), she assumed she had another pulmonary embolism, so she told the skeptical nurse that she needed a CT scan and a blood thinner. She had an ultrasound scan of her legs. “Did I look like a Doppler? I told you I needed to get a CT scan and a heparin drip, ”Williams recalls, telling staff, Vogue reports. It turned out that she was right: “Several small blood clots have accumulated in her lungs. A few minutes later she was on a drip.
Pulmonary embolism is a form of venous thromboembolism and is one of the leading causes of maternal death. If Williams hadn’t been so committed to her health and what she needed, her results could have been much worse. Her episode highlights the fact that the number of preventable complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth is on the rise in the United States, ProPublica has been researching maternal mortality for almost a year now and reports the following: 700 to 900 women die each year from maternal complications. One study found that 60% of these deaths are preventable.
Of course, the solution to this problem goes far beyond the message urging women to “know the symptoms.” There is also “fix the systemic problems of the health care system.” Racial differences in maternal health are a national issue . Black women are 243 percent more likely to die from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth than white women, according to ProPublica . The discrepancy has persisted for decades.
In all respects, education is critical. Symptoms to be aware of for the three main causes of maternal death are venous thromboembolism (blood clots), obstetric bleeding (heavy bleeding), and severe hypertension during pregnancy (high blood pressure). If you have recently given birth and have any of these symptoms, tell your doctor right away.
Venous thromboembolism (blood clots)
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a blood clot that forms in a vein. There are two types: deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (which Williams experienced). According to the American Pregnancy Association , women most often develop a blood clot in the first three months of pregnancy or in the first six weeks after giving birth.
Deep venous thrombi
What it is: The American Heart Association describes it as “a clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg, but sometimes in the arm or other veins.”
The most common symptoms are:
- Swelling or pain in one leg
- Pain that gets worse when walking
- Veins that look larger than usual
Pulmonary embolism
What it is: A condition that occurs when a clot of DVT breaks off the wall of a vein, travels to the lungs, and partially or completely blocks the blood supply.
Most common symptoms: Symptoms of pulmonary embolism can vary greatly depending on factors such as the size of the clots and the extent of lung involvement, but these are the most common symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic :
- Dyspnea. This symptom usually appears suddenly and always gets worse with exertion.
- Chest pain. You may feel like you are having a heart attack. The pain may get worse when you breathe deeply (pleurisy), cough, eat, bend over or bend over. The pain increases with exertion, but does not go away when you rest.
- Cough. When coughing, sputum may come out with blood or blood streaks.
Obstetric bleeding ( heavy bleeding)
What it is: Heavy bleeding after giving birth. Stanford Children’s Health states that 1 to 5 percent of women have postpartum hemorrhage, and this is more likely to occur with a caesarean section. In most cases, this happens immediately after delivery, but it can happen later.
The most common symptoms are :
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Low blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Decreased red blood cell count (hematocrit)
- Swelling and pain in the tissues of the vagina and perineum if bleeding is caused by a hematoma.
Severe hypertension in pregnancy
What it is: Very high blood pressure.
Most common symptoms: High blood pressure is mostly asymptomatic, but can increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. Another possible complication is preeclampsia, which usually begins after the 20th week of pregnancy. Not all women have noticeable symptoms of preeclampsia, but when symptoms do occur, the most common are :
- Headache
- Vision changes
- Abdominal pain
- Rapid edema (edema)