Efforts to decrease pregnancy-related mortality in the
United States begin with a thorough understanding of the
factors and circumstances leading to each death. A 2010
report on pregnancy-related mortality in the United States
from 1998 through 2005 was published using the Preg-
nancy Mortality Surveillance System data [
1
]. The authors
conclude that state-based maternal mortality reviews could
potentially lead to improved understanding of the context
in which women suffer these deaths. Although there is now
improvement in understanding the clinical cause of death
through the national Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance
System, a deeper level of information about each death can
only be achieved by state review committees.