Black Women With SCD Have a Higher Risk of Pregnancy-Related Complications, Here’s Why…

Pregnancy brings physical and psychological changes to the body. From my perspective of being a mother, my main concern while pregnant was, am I doing everything correctly to keep my baby and myself healthy and safe. For a Black woman with sickle cell disease (SCD), this comes ten times harder. She can be doing everything correctly, but because she has an underlying health condition, she has a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affect hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body. When the red blood cells become sickle-shaped, this interferes with the blood cells’ ability to transport oxygen around the body. Sickle cell disease requires ongoing medical care. Black women with sickle cell disease experience significantly worse pregnancy outcomes compared to those without sickle cell disease. Due to: Underlying health conditions, such as sickle cell disease Physiological changes (increased heart rate, cardiac output, exhaustion, etc.) Sickle cell disease-related stress on the body Family health history The effect sickle cell disease has on maternal outcomes for Black women: Preeclampsia Stillbirth Miscarriage Inpatient maternal mortality(during pregnancy or right after birth) Postpartum hemorrhage (uncontrolled bleeding after birth) More likely...