A mother with her newborn baby is seen in a hospital. State officials report an increase in obstetric hemorrhages, or excessive bleeding during pregnancy or associated with childbirth. The highest rates are in southwestern and northern Alaska. (Photo by Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images)
Reported cases of extreme blood loss during or after childbirth have increased in Alaska over the past eight years, and an education initiative for health providers is planned as a response, state health officials said.
The cases are known as obstetric hemorrhage , which is defined as the loss of at least 1,000 milliliters — or more than 2 pints — of blood during pregnancy or within 24 hours of childbirth. It is the leading cause of maternal death globally. Nonfatal cases can also have long-term health consequences .
In Alaska, reported rates of obstetric hemorrhage increased from 7.9% of hospital deliveries from 2016 to 2019 to 9% of hospital deliveries from 2020 to 2023, according to a bulletin issued by the Alaska Division of Public Health’s epidemiology section.