One Type of Pregnancy Death Is On the Rise

Ectopic pregnancy, a complication that doctors say should almost never be fatal, is killing US women at nearly twice the rate it did a decade ago, reports ProPublica. Such pregnancies occur when a fertilized egg fails to implant in the uterus and develops elsewhere, which can lead to severe bleeding. Routine medical care should prevent fatalities, but the outlet's investigation turned up what it describes as a "baffling" stat: Using CDC death records, ProPublica found that almost 200 women died with ectopic pregnancies from 2020 to 2025, up from about 100 in the six years prior.

The cause is not clear. One factor might be "chaos and access issues" during the pandemic, according to the story. Another might be the rise in abortion bans since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Ectopic pregnancies are typically detected in the first trimester and must be terminated, but "lawsuits and federal complaints have alleged that some medical providers are hesitating or flat-out refusing to do that in states where they face criminal penalties for performing an abortion," per the story. The increase in deaths has been seen nationwide, but it's been steepest in states with abortion bans. For the data analysis, patient stories, and methodology, read the full story.