Most maternal deaths are preventable, but they have been increasing in the United States
Each year, thousands of women face traumatic pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experiences that are largely preventable. Two factors that significantly contribute to the nation’s current maternal health crisis include the relative undersupply of maternity care providers (obstetrician-gynecologists and midwives) and a lack of comprehensive postpartum support.
A relatively large share of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. occur after birth. To better understand the high maternal death rate in the U.S., it is helpful to know when they happen:
- 17 percent of deaths occur on the day of delivery.
- 52 percent occur after delivery, or postpartum.
In the first week postpartum, severe bleeding, high blood pressure, and infection are the most common contributors to maternal deaths, while cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of late deaths. Previous research indicates that U.S. women experience more late maternal deaths than women in other high-income countries.
Postpartum care is intended to ensure the physical and emotional recovery of mothers and their babies. Home visits by a midwife or a nurse are associated with improved mental health and breastfeeding outcomes as well as reduced health care costs. Home visits give providers an opportunity to address mental health concerns and allow them to assess social determinants of health, including needs for food, housing, financial security, and protection from domestic violence.
However, The U.S. has an overall shortage of maternity care providers relative to the number of births. Many questions go unanswered, and warning signs may be missed. The World Health Organization recommends at least four health contacts in the first six weeks, yet U.S. women typically have a single office-based physician visit within this period, and some don’t have one at all.
Partum’s Solution
Partum Health is a hybrid clinic delivering the best of online and offline care to women and families through the fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum journey. Partum supports families with essential specialty services - including mental health, lactation, nutrition, physical therapy, and birth and postpartum doula care - that together improve maternal and family health outcomes by preventing and addressing the incredibly common complications of the perinatal period.
The health tech startup complements the support families receive from their obstetricians or midwives by providing care that prevents and addresses the most common complications of pregnancy, including perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, pelvic floor dysfunction and avoidable C-sections. A comprehensive set of physical and mental health services is tailored to the needs of each family in order to achieve better health and mental health outcomes both during the pregnancy and postpartum periods. The company works with major health plans to ensure that many of its services are covered and furthermore, offers care and patient education digitally and in person.
How Femovate Helps
Partum was awarded sponsorship through Guidea’s Femovate program for ‘23-24.
As part of the Femovate sponsorship, designers at Guidea are working with the founders of Partum, Meghan Doyle and Matt Rogers, and their team to optimize and refine the customer experience.
For more information about Partum, visit www.partumhealth.com and follow them on LinkedIn
For more information on Femovate visit www.femovate.com and follow us on LinkedIn
For interviews please contact Theresa Neil
