Measure Source

Healthy People 2010, measure 16-4.

Tables

1.64a Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, United States, 1999 and 2002.

1.64b Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, by State, 1999 and 2002.

Data Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System—Mortality.

Denominator

Resident live births.

Numerator

Number of female deaths due to obstetric causes (ICD-10-CM codes O00-O95, O98-O99) within 42 days of a pregnancy.

Comments

Caution should be used when comparing these data with pregnancy-related mortality rates from other reports. NCHS uses the definition of maternal mortality and related coding conventions recommended in the ICD-9-CM by the World Health Organization. Other definitions may use different time intervals from pregnancy to death and may be more inclusive with regard to cause of death.

A description of the maternal mortality measurement has been published by NCHS. Go to http://www.cdc.gov/nchs for more information about linked birth and infant death data.