😢 Olympic medalist Tori Bowie passed during childbirth. Wètin you need know about maternal mortality, eclampsia, and oda labor wahala. 😔💔

Olympic medalist Tori Bowie, wey die for early May for di age of 32, she bin dey eight months belle and dey for labor for her house for Florida wen she kpai, her agent don confam Monday — e don make pipo look di matta of maternal mortality for US again. 🏅😔

Di autopsy report from di medical examiner office for Orlando yan sey Bowie fit get wahala like respiratory distress and eclampsia. Dem yan sey di pikin wey she bin dey carry, na girl, bin die too. 😢👶🚼

“Di death of Tori na example of how e dey hard wey we dey face for dis time for maternal health for US,” Dr. Alison Cowan, wey be OB-GYN and head of medical affairs for health technology company Mirvie yan. “As we see one young woman wey dey di peak of her life, wey dey good shape, still lose her life and her pikin life sake of pregnancy wey fit don prevent na e be di wahala. … Even though we no fit know di exact matta for her case, e important wey we stop small, think ontop how we fit create more awareness for dis preventable wahala.” 😔🤰🏾🏥

Di number of women wey dey die during or shortly after childbirth for US dey pass oda developed kontri, and e worse for women wey get black skin. Dem talk sey black women dey at least three times more likely to kpai sake of pregnancy wahala pass white women, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 👩🏿🤰🏾🚫

Even women wey dey well well before dem get belle fit get wahala, according to National Institutes of Health. And woman fit kpai sake of pregnancy wahala at any stage, CDC talk, whether na during pregnancy, for labor, or even up to one year afta dem born pikin. 😰👩🏽‍⚕️

Make we sabi some wahala wey serious and fit kpai woman during labor:

Wetin be eclampsia? Eclampsia na wen pesin come get seizure — wey be shaking, confusion, and loss of control — during pregnancy, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Di main risk for eclampsia na preeclampsia, wey be wen pesin wey dey belle get high blood pressure and protein for urine.

Oda pesin wey fit dey for risk include those wey don already get high blood pressure before dem get belle, those wey don get preeclampsia for previous belle, or those wey don get history of diabetes, Cowan yan. “Plenty women, like Tori Bowie, no get any visible risk factors for preeclampsia,” she add. “So, di first thing na make women yarn dia dokita make dem know dia unique risk.” 😯🤰🏽🩺

Both eclampsia and preeclampsia dey rare but serious.

“If dem no treat preeclampsia, e fit cause serious — even fatal — complications for both di mama and di pikin,” Mayo Clinic yan.

Eclampsia affect less than 3% of pipo wey get preeclampsia, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Studies don show sey black women for US dey get more risk to get wahala for birth, including preeclampsia.

“We sabi sey black women dey die for di rate of three times more pass white women for United States, and dem dey die from preeclampsia and eclampsia for estimate five times more pass white women. So, dem dey bear di heavy wahala pass oda pipo,” Cowan yan. 😥👩🏿‍⚕️

Bowie Olympic teammate, Allyson Felix, don get her own experience with dis condition as she been get severe preeclampsia for 32 weeks of belle. Dem bin do emergency C-section for Felix, wey fit don save her life.

For pipo wey wan belle or wey don already get belle, Cowan yan sey e dey important wey dem sabi dia risk as e fit be. Dem need take action, make dem create plan with dia dokita. Her work for Mirvie include efforts to develop blood test wey go fit help predict preeclampsia and oda pregnancy wahala. 🩺💉👩🏾‍⚕️

“Dem plenty different interventions wey dey available and evidence-based to reduce di risk of preeclampsia or identify am as soon as e start,” she yan. “If we do everything wey dey possible to reduce di risk of preeclampsia and identify am immediately wen e happen, we go fit prevent most cases of eclampsia.” 🩺🔬🤰🏽

Heart wahala during pregnancy and birth Heart disease and stroke dey cause di highest number of deaths during and afta belle, according to CDC. Dem estimate sey more than 34% of pregnancy-related deaths na from dis wahala.

“Many women fit mistake di symptoms of stroke, like headache, dizziness, or tingling for arms, as belle wahala. If your symptoms show up suddenly, na sign sey you fit get stroke,” di organization website yan.

Symptoms fit include sudden numbness, confusion, trouble to see, trouble to waka, and serious headache.

Even though stroke no dey common during pregnancy, pregnancy fit increase woman risk, CDC yan.

Problems wey fit increase di risk of stroke during pregnancy and birth na high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and blood clot. 😰🤰🏽🩺

Postpartum hemorrhage Serious bleeding from down under afta belle or C-section, wey dem call postpartum hemorrhage or PPH, na anoda serious condition wey fit kpai.

“Postpartum hemorrhage na wen di total blood wey dem lose pass 32 fluid ounces afta belle, whether na vaginal birth or C-section, or wen bleeding serious sotey e fit cause symptoms wey show sey blood loss too much or e change di rate wey heart dey beat or blood pressure,” di Cleveland Clinic website yan. E fit restrict blood flow to brain and oda organs.

Risk factors fit include high blood pressure or preeclampsia, blood-clotting disorder, anemia, obesity, and women wey don old small — but postpartum hemorrhage fit affect any woman afta belle.

Di condition happen for about 1% to 10% of belle, according to Cleveland Clinic. Dem yan sey about 40% of cases happen for women wey no get any risk factors.

Racial difference for maternal mortality For 2021, during di COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1,200 US women don die during belle or shortly afta childbirth, according to report wey dem release for March by CDC. E be di highest rate for six decades. Dem don show sey di risks dey more for women wey no take vaccine.

According to 2020 report by CDC, di maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women na 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births — roughly 2.9 times di rate for non-Hispanic white women.

Determining wetin dey cause racial difference for maternal mortality na “biggest challenge for public health,” Dr. Henning Tiemeier, director of Harvard’s Maternal Health Task Force, yan for interview for CBS News “Face the Nation” for July 2022.

“We know sey na top of di iceberg for poor health for women and poor health for black women,” Tiemeier yan. “And dem dey several reasons, from poverty to discrimination to poor care for dis group of women.”

Tiemeier add sey “most of dis deaths fit prevent.” 👩🏿‍⚕️💔

1 belle or newborn death dey happen every 7 seconds, WHO report find Cowan yan sey awareness and personalized plan na key to help change dis wahala and health outcomes.

“We dey try help individuals as much as possible with predictive testing,” she yan. “If we fit use dat knowledge take action and prevent dis problem, e go move us for di right direction to reduce maternal mortality.” 🌍🔬🚼

E dey important to raise awareness about maternal mortality and di risks wey dey involve for pregnancy and childbirth. Dis na wahala wey dey affect women across di world, and e need attention and action from goment and medical professionals to fit reduce di risks and save lives. 💪🏾🤰🏽👶🏾

We are deeply saddened to learn the cause of death of Olympic medalist and world champion sprinter, Tori Bowie.

Black women die at exceedingly higher rates due to pregnancy-related complications. We face a much higher risk of maternal death due to various reasons including… pic.twitter.com/ltsx5RDzGQ

— BET (@BET) June 12, 2023

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😢 Olympic medalist Tori Bowie passed away during childbirth. Here’s what you need to know about maternal mortality, eclampsia, and other labor complications. 😔💔

Olympic medalist Tori Bowie, who died in early May at the age of 32, was eight months pregnant and in labor at her home in Florida when she passed away, her agent confirmed on Monday — it has brought attention to the issue of maternal mortality in the US once again. 🏅😔

The autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office in Orlando stated that Bowie may have experienced complications such as respiratory distress and eclampsia. They also mentioned that the baby she was carrying, a girl, also passed away. 😢👶🚼

“The death of Tori is an example of how challenging the situation is for maternal health in the US,” said Dr. Alison Cowan, an OB-GYN and head of medical affairs for the health technology company Mirvie. “To see a young woman in the prime of her life, in good health, lose her life and her baby’s life due to a preventable pregnancy complication is heartbreaking. … Even though we cannot know the exact circumstances of her case, it is important that we pause and think about how we can create more awareness about this preventable issue.” 😔🤰🏾🏥

The number of women dying during or shortly after childbirth in the US exceeds that of other developed countries, and the disparity is worse for women of Black ethnicity. Black women are at least three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 👩🏿🤰🏾🚫

Even women who are healthy before pregnancy can experience complications, according to the National Institutes of Health. A woman can die from pregnancy-related complications at any stage, whether during pregnancy, labor, or up to one year after giving birth, as stated by the CDC. 😰👩🏽‍⚕️

Let’s understand some serious complications that can arise during labor:

What is eclampsia? Eclampsia is when a person experiences seizures — which include shaking, confusion, and loss of control — during pregnancy, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The main risk factor for eclampsia is preeclampsia, which is characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy.

Other individuals at risk include those who had high blood pressure before pregnancy, those who previously had preeclampsia, or those with a history of diabetes, according to Cowan. “Many women, like Tori Bowie, do not have any visible risk factors for preeclampsia,” she added. “So, the first step is for women to communicate with their doctor to understand their unique risk.” 😯🤰🏽🩺

Both eclampsia and preeclampsia are rare but serious conditions.

“If left untreated, preeclampsia can cause serious — even fatal — complications for both the mother and the baby,” states the Mayo Clinic.

Eclampsia affects less than 3% of individuals with preeclampsia, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Studies have shown that Black women in the US have a higher risk of complications during childbirth, including preeclampsia.

“We know that Black women are dying at a rate three times higher than white women in the United States, and they die from preeclampsia and eclampsia at an estimated five times the rate of white women. They bear a heavier burden than other individuals,” said Cowan. 😥👩🏿‍⚕️

Bowie’s Olympic teammate, Allyson Felix, has had her own experience with this condition as she suffered from severe preeclampsia at 32 weeks of pregnancy. An emergency C-section was performed on Felix, which may have saved her life.

For individuals who want to become pregnant or who are already pregnant, it is important to understand their risk factors. They should take action and create a plan with their doctor. Cowan’s work at Mirvie includes efforts to develop a blood test that can help predict preeclampsia and other pregnancy complications. 🩺💉👩🏾‍⚕️

“There are various interventions available that are evidence-based to reduce the risk of preeclampsia or identify it as soon as it occurs,” she explained. “If we do everything possible to reduce the risk of preeclampsia and identify it immediately when it happens, we can prevent most cases of eclampsia.” 🩺🔬🤰🏽

Heart complications during pregnancy and birth Heart disease and stroke account for the highest number of deaths during and after pregnancy, according to the CDC. They estimate that over 34% of pregnancy-related deaths are due to these complications.

“Many women may mistake the symptoms of a stroke, such as headaches, dizziness, or tingling in the arms, as pregnancy-related issues. If your symptoms appear suddenly, it may be a sign of a stroke,” states the organization’s website.

Symptoms may include sudden numbness, confusion, trouble seeing, trouble walking, and severe headaches.

Although stroke is not common during pregnancy, pregnancy can increase a woman’s risk, according to the CDC.

Factors that can increase the risk of stroke during pregnancy and birth include high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and blood clotting issues. 😰🤰🏽🩺

Postpartum hemorrhage Severe bleeding from the vagina after childbirth or a C-section, known as postpartum hemorrhage or PPH, is another serious condition that can be fatal.

“Postpartum hemorrhage occurs when the total blood loss exceeds 32 fluid ounces after childbirth, whether through vaginal birth or C-section, or when the bleeding is severe enough to cause symptoms indicating excessive blood loss or changes in heart rate or blood pressure,” states the Cleveland Clinic website. It can restrict blood flow to the brain and other organs.

Risk factors may include high blood pressure or preeclampsia, blood clotting disorders, anemia, obesity, and advanced maternal age — but postpartum hemorrhage can affect any woman after childbirth.

The condition occurs in about 1% to 10% of pregnancies, according to the Cleveland Clinic. They mention that approximately 40% of cases occur in women with no known risk factors.

Racial disparities in maternal mortality In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, over 1,200 women in the US died during or shortly after childbirth, according to a report released by the CDC in March. This is the highest rate in six decades. The risks are higher for women who have not received the vaccine.

According to a 2020 CDC report, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women is 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births — roughly 2.9 times the rate for non-Hispanic white women.

Determining the causes of racial disparities in maternal mortality is the “biggest challenge for public health,” said Dr. Henning Tiemeier, director of Harvard’s Maternal Health Task Force, in an interview with CBS News “Face the Nation” in July 2022.

“We know that it is the tip of the iceberg in terms of poor health for women and poor health for Black women,” Tiemeier explained. “And there are several reasons, from poverty to discrimination to poor care for this group of women.”

Tiemeier added that “most of these deaths can be prevented.” 👩🏿‍⚕️💔

According to a WHO report, a maternal or newborn death occurs every 7 seconds. Cowan emphasizes that awareness and personalized plans are key to addressing this issue and improving health outcomes.

“We are trying to help individuals as much as possible with predictive testing,” she said. “If we can use that knowledge to take action and prevent this problem, it will move us in the right direction to reduce maternal mortality.” 🌍🔬🚼

It is important to raise awareness about maternal mortality and the risks involved in pregnancy and childbirth. This issue affects women worldwide and requires attention and action from governments and medical professionals to reduce the risks and save lives. 💪🏾🤰🏽👶🏾