Title: Why are black women at such high risk of dying from pregnancy complications? | American Heart Association
Headings: Why are black women at such high risk of dying from pregnancy complications?
Published: February 20, 2019
Why are black women at such high risk of dying from pregnancy complications?
American Heart Association News Stories

Content: But there's a bigger problem, Langer said. " Basically, black women are undervalued. They are not monitored as carefully as white women are. When they do present with symptoms, they are often dismissed." That's what happened to Williams when she experienced a pulmonary embolism a day after giving birth to her daughter via cesarean section. Williams was gasping for breath and recognized that blood clots were blocking one or more of the arteries in her lungs. "Because of my medical history with this problem, I live in fear of this situation," she wrote in an essay about the issue last February. " So, when I fell short of breath, I didn't wait a second to alert the nurses." But medical employees initially dismissed her concerns, wasting crucial time before her diagnosis and the treatment she specifically requested. Williams' story illustrates the biggest problem facing black women, even when they are successful and affluent, said Dr. Allison Bryant Mantha, vice chair of quality, equity and safety in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.