Missouri’s annual maternal mortality report published

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services sent this bulletin at 07/01/2025 12:38 PM CDT

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For Immediate Release:
July 1, 2025

Media Contact:
Lisa Cox
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
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Missouri’s annual maternal mortality report published

Top causes of pregnancy-related death: mental health conditions and cardiovascular disease

JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has published A Multi Year Look at Maternal Mortality in Missouri: 2018-2022 Annual Report on behalf of the state’s Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) Board, a multidisciplinary board of experts from across the state tasked with examining the causes and contributing factors associated with maternal mortality and ultimately forming recommendations that could prevent these deaths from occurring in the future. The report is an aggregate of five years’ worth of work of the PAMR Board and is based upon the most recent data available.

The 2018-2022 report contains data, including the timing and leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths, and factors that contributed to these deaths, such as mental health conditions and substance use disorders. The report also reflects the disparities that exist in our state and among our most vulnerable populations, including our Black and publicly insured communities. Finally, the report includes recommendations by the Board for a variety of stakeholders including lawmakers and health care providers.

Analysis of data and related patient records indicates mental health conditions (including substance use disorders) were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths, followed by cardiovascular diseases. An average of 70 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy each year over 5 years (2018-2022), with the highest number recorded in 2020 (85 deaths).

Other key findings include the following:

From 2018-2022 (350 deaths total):

  • The pregnancy-related mortality ratio (PRMR) was 32.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.
  • The PRMR for Black women was 2.5 times the ratio of white women. This is a continued decline from the previous three reports.
  • The PAMR Board determined that 80% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable.
  • Mental health conditions were the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths, followed by cardiovascular diseases.
  • The PAMR Board determined that all pregnancy-related deaths due to mental health conditions, including substance use disorder (SUD), were preventable.
  • Women living in micropolitan counties had the highest ratio of pregnancy-related deaths (38.7 per 100,000 live births).

Additional maternal mortality data is available online through a statewide, interactive dashboard. The 2018-2022 annual report can be viewed at Health.Mo.Gov/data/pamr.