Pregnant or postpartum Black women are 45% more likely to die in hospital

Right now, according to HHS, about 9% of all women of reproductive ages — considered ages 20 to 44 — and 18% of Black women in this age group, have hypertension, or chronically high blood pressure. This puts them at higher risk for pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, heart attack, postpartum bleeding and kidney failure. Among these women, 17% are unaware they have hypertension. The agency says hypertensive disorders are responsible for 7% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S.