title: Abortion-Related Mortality in the United States: 1998-2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine characteristics and causes of legal induced abortion-related deaths in the United States between 1998 and 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Abortion-related deaths were identified through the national Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System with enhanced case-finding. We calculated the abortion mortality rate by race, maternal age, and gestational age and the distribution of causes of death by gestational age and procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the period from 1998-2010, of approximately 16.1 million abortion procedures, 108 women died, for a mortality rate of 0.7 deaths per 100,000 procedures overall, 0.4 deaths for non-Hispanic white women, 0.5 deaths for Hispanic women, and 1.1 deaths for black women. The mortality rate increased with gestational age, from 0.3 to 6.7 deaths for procedures performed at 8 weeks or less and at 18 weeks or greater, respectively. A majority of abortion-related deaths at 13 weeks of gestation or less were associated with anesthesia complications and infection, whereas a majority of abortion-related deaths at more than 13 weeks of gestation were associated with infection and hemorrhage. In 20 of the 108 cases, the abortion was performed as a result of a severe medical condition where continuation of the pregnancy threatened the woman's life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deaths associated with legal induced abortion continue to be rare events-less than 1 per 100,000 procedures. Primary prevention of unintended pregnancy, including those in women with serious pre-existing medical conditions, and increased access to abortion services at early gestational ages may help to further decrease abortion-related mortality in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  III.
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zane
authors.forename: Andreea A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Creanga
authors.forename: Cynthia J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pazol
authors.forename: Danielle B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Suchdev
authors.forename: Denise J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jamieson
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Callaghan
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology