Medical society wants national approach to track, review information on maternal deaths, severe morbidity
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) says a growing body of research out of the United States suggests maternal mental health conditions are a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S., with more than 80 per cent of those deaths being deemed preventable by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control.
Dr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, says a study done in 2022 revealed about 25 per cent of woman will have some type of depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy or post-partum.
"And when you look at those numbers, only about 15 per cent actually go forward and access services," says Murphy-Kaulbeck during an interview with CTV Atlantic's Todd Battis.
"There's a lot of variables to that... stigma, just lack of access to resources."
The study also found it can take anywhere from a month to 12 months to access mental health services, according to Murphy-Kaulbeck.
"I think we're seeing that in general across the population. But even more for this specific care for women, it's even less access."
Currently, Canada does not have a national approach to track, review and collect information on maternal deaths, near misses and severe morbidity.
As a result, the SOGC is calling for a national framework for standardized collection and surveillance of maternal mortality and morbidity data in the country.
The SOGC is also urging the federal government to take a leadership role in encouraging and assisting provinces and territories to collect, standardize and share detailed datasets on maternal deaths, perinatal mental health and maternal morbidity.
"There is data being collected. And normally it's vital statistics, hospital discharge databases that are used to dump into the federal system. The problem is, when you speak specifically to maternal mortality, perinatal mental health and one of my focuses is going to be stillbirth, the provinces and territories all collect very differently, so there's not standardized information from every province," she says.
"So, what one province captures, another province may not. And if you want to look at a problem... you need good data. You need to know what the problem is, what are the variables, what are the things that are affecting that... Only then can you look at prevention strategies and really getting into the problem."
As far as deaths related to pregnancy, Murphy-Kaulbeck says as a developed country, Canada does well. However, she adds other countries are doing better.
"If you look at the U.K., they have a phenomenal system for maternal mortality where they do a confidential enquiry on every death. They have the data, they're getting sources from many different places, whereas in Canada, we're not even really sure what our numbers are," she says.
"So, if there's no capturing that at the time of death a woman is pregnant, or has been pregnant within the post-partum period of up to one year as the World Health Organization recommends, it's not captured. So, there's a death that we're not capturing and we're not adding to our database to be able to again, look at strategies and prevention."
Murphy-Kaulbeck says when it comes to adverse pregnancy outcome or maternal morbidity and mortality, it's known that there are certain groups that are affected more than others.
"U.S. data has very clearly shown that Indigenous and Black people are much more at risk. So again, that's something else that our data doesn't always show."
With files from CTV Atlantic's Todd Battis
If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available.
Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline (1-833-456-4566)
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1 800 463-2338)
Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566 or text 45645)
Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868)
If you need immediate assistance call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Killer who stabbed victim 'at least 52 times' dies in B.C. prison
A 72-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for a brutal murder that happened in Chilliwack in 2016 has died, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.
Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut after another strike destroyed buildings
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut on Friday in a series of massive explosions that targeted the leader of the militant group and levelled multiple high-rise apartment buildings.
American woman gets SUV stuck in elevator bay at B.C. casino
A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.
Hurricane Helene kills at least 44 and cuts a swath of destruction across the Southeast
Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 44 people, snapping towering oaks like twigs and tearing apart homes as rescue crews launched desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.
After decades-long search, northern Ontario man finds vintage vehicle in Larder Lake
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
2 people caught illegally crossing the International Railroad Bridge into the U.S.: border officials
Two Italian citizens have been apprehended after allegedly illegally crossing over the International Railroad Bridge to the United States.
Former military reservist sentenced for shotgun video calling Liberal MP a 'communist agent' for China
A former Canadian military reservist has been sentenced to house arrest after posting a video of himself firing a shotgun at a picture of a member of Parliament whom he accused of being a 'communist agent' for China.
P.E.I. shellfish festival gastrointestinal illness outbreak largest in province's history: health officer
More than 550 symptomatic people responded to an online questionnaire about a gastrointestinal illness at a Prince Edward Island shellfish festival last weekend.
Family of man who died in incident involving Calgary police issues statement
The family of Jon Wells, a man who died in an incident involving Calgary police earlier this month, say they are seeking time to grieve their loss.