Maternal Health Gap : A Racial issue !

It is well known that United States is suffering from racial discrimination. Many of the ethnic minorities are suffering because of racial discrimination.  Due to the social imbalance. Economic imbalance is also very visible. And as we know that advances in medical facilities have a major drawback of economical charges. Since the minority and ethnic mayoralty groups are economically imbalanced they cannot afford good medical facility. Which results in higher rates of illness and death among the ethnic minority and racial minority groups. The rate of mortality in the white population is very lower when compared to black population. And a similar trend is depicted by maternal aberrations.

A  major section of I’ll individuals consist of expecting mothers. In United States black women are destined to experience poorer maternal health outcomes. The expecting mothers belonging 2 black neighborhoods consist of 3 to 4 times the risk of pregnancy related complications. These complications are generally preventable.

The major reason due to which these solvable complications are not being addressed is given below.

But first of all, let’s see what is maternal mortality.

Maternal mortality, a racial issue?

When we state the world maternal mortality it refers to any non accidental pregnancy related death.  It can be either during the pregnancy or within 42 days after parturition.  As a fact we can know that United States has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world.  In United States maternal mortality is a very significant issues because it paced up during the recent years.

Major causes for maternal mortality?

If we dig up the history there were many previous instances of maternal mortality. one of the major Cause was the child bearing age of women. Nowadays this issue has been addressed And rectified. But rest of the issues like infection, bleeding, abortions still exists.

According 2 different centers for Disease Control and prevention the top 5 reasons for maternal mortality consist of. Cardiovascular conditions 15.5%, infection 12.7%,  heart muscle disease cardiomyopathy 11.5%,  hemorrhage, 10.7%, blood clots in lungs or other parts of body 9.6%.

It Is very essential to consult your health advisor in the initial days of pregnancy so as to detect future complications.

in some cases, early consultancy may result in prevention of deaths.

Maternal health gap, an issue to be addressed!

Even though the educational gap between white Americans and black Americans is diminished it doesn’t seem to affect the maternal health of black women. To state the situation in simple manner let us consider 2 equally educated women but of different racial profile. In spite of being equally educated the black individual is at a high risk of maternal death. The risk factor main lead up to 3 to 4 folds. The above example is an excellent situation understand maternal health gap.

In a survey it is noticed that black women are most likely to live in those area which consists of higher pollution rates.  Higher pollution rates are responsible for the birth of babies that are weaker and lighter. Higher pollution rates can also increase the risk of stillbirth by 42%. Sometimes in rare cases it is noticed that the child is not fertile.

Pre Natal-care is again a very crucial factor in combating the infant mortality rate. Unfortunately, black women are rarely subjected to prenatal care. This lack of prenatal care may be due to financial instability or due to lack of family planning.

Last but not the least, a very prominent yet very unnoticed reason for maternal mortality is racial trauma.  Racial trauma well subjected to black woman they immediately became conscious and also it puts them at a higher risk of pre-eclampsia. In pre-eclampsia the individual suffers from a chronic stress which can result in high blood pressure characterized by associated organ damage.

 Maternal health improvement and our role!

Essential steps are required to be taken for the improvement of maternal health and maternal health gap in United States. The first change can be systemic in nature. We can change our system and address the unconscious biasing on racial profiles.  Some dedicated funding towards rural as well as racial minorities can be a major step.

 Tips to improve Maternity

Always be aware of the healthcare system you are enrolled with. It is very important to be aware of the facilities you are getting and always check the facilities you are paying for. Underprivileged racial minorities and ruler minorities may seek help from those healthcare providers that empowers Indiscrimination. Always voice your fears and quantify your doubts without shame.

 Get community support

One of the best supports a pregnant woman can seek for is the community-based support. A very well organized community-based support system is established in United States which can be accessed by contacting your local Health Network. For an instance, the maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting program is available for mothers who are at risk of poor outcome during pregnancy.

Fortunately, many of the pregnancy related births in the United states are preventable. It can be prevented using quality parental care. Though we have to raise voices against the racial disparities when it comes to maternal health.