Changes in pregnancy-associated deaths in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic had unique effects on pregnant and postpartum people: maternal deaths from obstetric causes increased 33% between April and December 2020 compared with previous years. That study, however, did not include deaths from nonobstetric causes among pregnant or postpartum people. Deaths  from drug overdose, suicide, and homicide represent large and growing proportions of all deaths during pregnancy and the first year post partum (ie, pregnancy associated deaths), and rates of drug overdose deaths and homicide increased substantially in the general US population in 2020. Thus, we sought to examine  changes in pregnancy-associated mortality from drugs, homicide, suicide, and other causes from 2018 through 2020.