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根据一篇回溯切片案例分析，怀孕相关的死亡通常是周产期心肌病变(peripartum cardiomyopathy)、子痫前症(preeclampsia)、HELLP症候群(HELLP syndrome)、怀孕脂肪肝以及羊水栓塞(amniotic fluid emboli)的结果。
HELLP是一种发生在孕妇出现溶血（Hemolysis，H）、肝酵素指数过高（Elevated liver enzymes，EL）、血小板不足（Low platelet count，LP）等的症候群；HELLP症候群发生在有子痫前症或者子癫症(eclampsia)的孕妇；如果严重，导致血压以及尿蛋白升高，会发生致命的抽筋。
阿拉巴马大学病理科住院医师Amanda Crowe在美国临床病理学会(ASCP)2007年会的海报组报告中指出，母亲死亡是罕见的，其中 58%的案例是因为怀孕或怀孕相关问题导致；42%是因为有其他与怀孕无关的致命并发症。
在作为高风险诊所以及治疗高风险转诊案例的阿拉巴马大学医院的一篇系列案例回溯研究中，对1991年1月1到2007年3月9日之间的4307例报告分析切片结果，探讨母亲的死亡数与案例，此项研究确认了36件母亲死亡案例(占所有案例的0.8% )，年龄范围从14到46岁 (平均年纪为 26.2 岁)。
死亡分类为直接与怀孕有关、怀孕是风险因素、手术并发症、与怀孕无关的潜在问题；有12例死亡(33%)是直接与怀孕有关，9例死亡(25%)是与怀孕相关，4例死亡 (11%)是手术并发症引起，11例死亡 (31%)是因为潜在医疗问题。
怀孕相关的死亡是因为周产期心肌病变、子痫前症、HELLP症候群、怀孕脂肪肝以及羊水栓塞等引起，怀孕相关的死亡分类包括肺栓塞、感染、药物作用，以及主动脉剥离。
手术并发症包括出血、术中死亡、以及食道穿孔。
Crowe医师表示，潜在问题导致的死亡主要是那些原本就有的状况，是与怀孕无关的致命医疗问题；她指出，妇产科领域的进步已经使得怀孕期间的母亲与胎儿更安全。
未参与此研究的ASCP年会委员会计划主任，加州大学的Elizabeth Wagar医师在Medscape病理学的访谈中指出，所有切片中的母亲死亡率只有0.8% (共回顾超过4300例切片)。
Wagar医师指出，现在的健康照护明显地减少怀孕有关的死亡百分比，19世纪时，每10,000例生产发生约700件死亡，这些死亡有许多是因为生产并发症和感染有关，目前的研究指出，大部分的母亲死亡是因为怀孕或与怀孕相关，以及因为既有之与怀孕无关的医疗问题，特别是死亡率与感染并发症无关，这在100年前是母亲死亡的主要因素。
Crowe医师宣称无相关财经关系。
美国临床病理学会 2007年会：摘要 2。于2007年10月18日发表。
Majority of Pregnancy-Related Deaths Are Cardiac-Related
By Carole Bullock, M.A.
Medscape Medical News
Pregnancy-related deaths are usually the result of peripartum cardiomyopathy, preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, fatty liver of pregnancy, and amniotic fluid emboli, according to a retrospective autopsy case analysis.
HELLP is a group of symptoms that occur in pregnant women who have hemolysis (H), elevated liver enzymes (EL) and low platelet count (LP). HELLP syndrome occurs in pregnant women with preeclampsia or eclampsia. If severe, it causes elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine and can progress to life-threatening seizures (eclampsia).
"Maternal death is rare, in that only 58% of cases were caused by or strongly associated with pregnancy; 42% of cases had fatal complications that might have occurred in other, nonpregnancy settings," Amanda Crowe, MD, pathology resident, University of Alabama at Birmingham, reported here during a poster session at the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) 2007 Annual Meeting.
In a retrospective case series from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, which serves a high-risk clinic and treats high-risk transfers, the number and causes of maternal deaths were determined at autopsy by searching 4307 reports from between January 1, 1991, and March 9, 2007. This search identified 36 cases of maternal death (0.8% of all cases). The age range was 14 to 46 years (mean age, 26.2 years).
Deaths were categorized as conditions seen only in pregnancy, conditions where pregnancy is a risk factor, surgical complications, and underlying conditions not related to pregnancy. Twelve deaths (33%) were caused directly by pregnancy, 9 deaths (25%) were pregnancy associated, 4 deaths (11%) were caused by surgical complications, and 11 deaths (31%) were from underlying medical conditions.
Pregnancy-related deaths were caused by peripartum cardiomyopathy, preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, fatty liver of pregnancy, and amniotic fluid emboli, whereas deaths in the pregnancy-associated category included pulmonary thromboemboli, infection, drug reaction, and aortic dissection.
Surgical complications included hemorrhage, intraoperative death, and esophageal perforation.
Deaths attributed to underlying conditions were cases in which there were preexisting, potentially fatal medical problems that were not pregnancy related, Dr. Crowe said.
"Advances in the field of obstetrics and gynecology have now made the peripartum period much safer for both mother and child," she added.
Elizabeth Wagar, MD, from the University of California, Los Angeles, and program chair of the ASCP annual meeting committee, who was not associated with the study, noted in an interview with Medscape Pathology that maternal death occurred in only 0.8% of all autopsies (more than 4300 autopsies were reviewed).
"Modern healthcare has clearly reduced the percentages of deaths that are associated with pregnancy. In the 19th century, as many as 700 deaths occurred per 10,000 births. Many of these deaths were related to delivery complications and infection," Dr. Wagar noted. "The present study indicates most maternal deaths were caused by or strongly associated with pregnancy and were due to preexisting medical problems that were not pregnancy related. Notably, mortality was not related to infectious disease complications, a common cause of maternal mortality 100 years ago."
Dr. Crowe has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
American Society for Clinical Pathology 2007 Annual Meeting: Abstract 2. Presented October 18, 2007.