Stress from racism may help explain why black women more likely to die in childbirth, study finds

Socioenvironmental stressors are known to have a measurable biological effect, a study by the University of Cambridge found. Photograph: Wavebreakmedia/Getty Images

Stress from racism and deprivation could explain why black women are more likely to die during childbirth, a study has found.

Researchers reviewed 44 existing studies that examined three physiological pathways associated with worse pregnancy outcomes: oxidative stress, inflammation, and uteroplacental vascular resistance, and found black women had higher levels of the three metrics.