pregnancy outcomes

Study Finds Racism and Deprivation May Explain Higher Maternal Mortality Rates for Black Women

A study by University of Cambridge researchers reviewing 44 existing studies found that Black women experience higher levels of oxidative stress, inflammation, and uteroplacental vascular resistance during pregnancy—physiological pathways linked to pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, and foetal growth restrictions. The researchers conclude these differences are not genetic but result from socioenvironmental stressors including systemic racism and socioeconomic deprivation. Black women in the UK are 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth and Black babies are twice as likely to be stillborn compared to white counterparts.