November 29, 2022
For more information: https://prevention.nih.gov/P2P-PostpartumHealth

The United States is experiencing a growing maternal health crisis. Approximately 700 women die each year from conditions related to pregnancy. Another 50,000 women experience severe pregnancy-related complications—like heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and depression.

Maternal health research has generally focused on pregnancy, but the majority of maternal deaths and complications occur during the first year after the pregnancy has ended (the postpartum period). The research community must increase efforts to improve postpartum care.

Speakers in this workshop discussed the current scientific evidence on predicting and preventing poor postpartum health outcomes to help identify research gaps.

The workshop was co-sponsored by the NIH Office of Disease Prevention; NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.