Table 2.
Characteristics of Violent and Nonviolent Maternal Deaths, Seventeen U.S. States, 2011–2015
| All pregnancy-associated homicides (n = 174) | IPV-related pregnancy-associated homicides (n = 104) | Pregnancy-related deaths (n = 1,617) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||
| <20 | 20 (11.5) | 11 (10.6) | 58 (3.6) |
| 20–24 | 61 (35.1) | 33 (31.7) | 215 (13.3) |
| 25–29 | 40 (23.0) | 25 (24.0) | 295 (18.2) |
| 30–34 | 30 (17.2) | 19 (18.3) | 329 (20.4) |
| 35+ | 23 (13.2) | 16 (15.4) | 720 (44.5) |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White, non-Hispanic | 69 (39.7) | 44 (42.3) | 773 (47.8) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 80 (46.0) | 41 (39.4) | 610 (37.7) |
| Other | 25 (14.4) | 19 (18.3) | 234 (14.5) |
| Timing of death | |||
| Pregnancy | 113 (64.9) | 64 (61.5) | — |
| Postpartum | 61 (35.1) | 40 (38.5) | — |
| Weapon type | |||
| Firearm | 107 (64.1) | 61 (60.4) | — |
| Sharp instrument | 24 (14.4) | 15 (14.9) | — |
| Hanging, strangulation, suffocation | 20 (12.0) | 14 (13.9) | — |
| Other | 16 (6.5) | 11 (10.9) | — |
| IPV related | |||
| No, not available, unknown | 70 (40.2) | — | — |
| Yes | 104 (59.8) | — | — |
| Pregnancy-related cause of deatha | |||
| Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium | — | — | 84 (5.2) |
| Obstetric hemorrhage | — | — | 61 (3.8) |
| Pregnancy with abortive outcome | — | — | 34 (2.1) |
| Pregnancy-related infection | — | — | 22 (1.4) |
| Contributory conditions | — | — | 343 (21.2) |
| Other obstetric complications | — | — | 228 (14.1) |
| Nonobstetric complications | — | — | 511 (31.6) |
| Other and unknown | — | — | 334 (20.7) |
a
See WHO ICD-MM for ICD-10 codes included in each maternal death grouping category.33
WHO, World Health Organization; ICD-MM, International Classification of Diseases-Maternal Mortality.