Illinois Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report October 2018

Executive Summary Maternal morbidity (severe pregnancy complications) and mortality (death) are viewed internationally as indicators used to judge the overall health status of a country, state, or community. There has been a great deal of attention given to the rising rate of maternal mortality in the United States, and efforts to understand the reasons for the increase. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) identifies all pregnancy-associated deaths, or deaths occurring while a woman is pregnant or within a year of pregnancy, to collect data on maternal mortality. IDPH has worked with two committees, the Maternal Mortality Review Committee and the Maternal Mortality Review Committee for Violent Deaths, to review cases of maternal death that occurred during 2015. The aim of these committees is to better understand the causes of maternal mortality and develop statewide recommendations to prevent future maternal deaths, as well as determine whether the deaths were pregnancy-related (occurring due to a pregnancy