Is homicide a leading cause of death among pregnant women in the US?

Researchers have found that homicide is among the leading causes of death of pregnant women in the U.S.

Women who are pregnant or have recently given birth are more likely to be murdered than to die from the leading obstetric causes of death, Harvard University researchers reported in October 2022. The researchers cited a mix of intimate partner violence and firearms.

A 2021 study led by a Tulane University researcher found homicide is a leading cause of death during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The study reviewed mortality files from 2018 and 2019.

Johns Hopkins University researchers reported in 2021 that the leading causes of pregnancy-associated deaths, as defined by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are homicide, suicide and drug overdose. The researchers cited intimate partner violence during pregnancy as a factor.