Maternal mortality refers to the death of a woman during her pregnancy or up to a year after her pregnancy has terminated; this only includes causes related to her pregnancy and does not include accidental causes. Some sources will define maternal mortality as the death of a woman up to 42 days after her pregnancy has ended, instead of one year. In 1986, the CDC began tracking pregnancy related deaths to gather information and determine what was causing these deaths by creating the Pregnancy-Related Mortality Surveillance System. Although the United States was spending more on healthcare than any other country in the world, more than two women died during childbirth every day, making maternal mortality in the United States the highest when compared to 49 other countries in the developed world. The CDC reported an increase in the maternal mortality ratio in the United States from 18.8 deaths per 100,000 births to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 births between 2000 and 2014, a 26.6% increase; It is estimated that 20-50% of these deaths are due to preventable causes with a large percentage related to blood clots and Thromboembolism, as well as Cardiomyopathy, Cerebrovascular Accident, Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, Infection / Sepsis, etc..
It’s extremely important to recognize signs and symptoms of blood clots both during pregnancy and delivery as well as post-partum. Many women are not monitored very closely when they are discharged from the hospital, nor are they given sufficient preventative measures and guidelines as a large portion of deaths occur in the Post-Partum time period. Whether one incurred a C-Section or Vaginal Delivery, Prophylaxis against blood clots is extremely important. The only patients given prophylaxis are those with a prior diagnosis or condition requiring treatment / prophylaxis. However, every mother in the post-partum period should be taking an agent for cardiovascular prevention. Curcumin / Turmeric being the only agent, with maximal anti-inflammatory properties for pain and healing; which also thins the blood for prevention of blood clots, while exerting natural anti-bacterial effects, and is healthy for the kidneys, liver, and GI tract. Unless a woman is allergic to Curcumin / Turmeric, and/or has increased risk of bleeding, every woman should be taking Curcumin capsules for 6-12 months postpartum. There is no contraindication to breast-feeding; however based upon Body Mass Index I would recommend taking 1-2 capsules per day instead of 3-4.