Fewer people who gave birth in Massachusetts in 2022 received adequate prenatal care compared to the prior year, and more Bay Staters used fertility treatment, according to a new report from the state's Department of Public Health.
DPH's look-back into the 68,579 births of 2022 showed some encouraging trends, such as decreases in gestational diabetes and the teen birth rate, in addition to worrisome maternal health outcomes, like the percentage of babies with a low birthweight reaching a record high when assessed over the last decade.
In response to years of worsening health outcomes, especially among pregnant people of color, Beacon Hill lawmakers this session passed a sweeping maternal health care bill that's expected to improve access to care and tackle racial disparities.
The volume of births decreased by 0.8% between 2021 and 2022. DPH said it's "too early to quantify or determine the significance of the slight increase in birth rate between 2020 and 2021, followed by this year's decline, so this trend must continue to be monitored."
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The teen birth rate decreased "slightly" in 2022 but racial disparities persist. Compared to the white teen birth rate, the metric is 10 times higher for Hispanic teens and nearly five times higher for Black teens.
The rate of births involving people with gestational diabetes declined for the first time in six years, but DPH said the figure is "nearly triple what it was in 2000."
Nearly one of out every 13 babies was born with a low birthweight, and DPH said the metric remains "unimproved after two decades." Data from 2022 show that 5,369 babies had a "low birthweight" defined as less than 5.5 pounds, while 741 babies had a "very low birthweight" of less than 3.3 pounds.
DPH says preterm births are continuing to rise, with one out every 11 births happening early, which officials define as before 37 weeks of gestation. The rate is "still higher for Black non-Hispanic births, with over one out of nine infants born prematurely," according to the report.
Between 2021 and 2022, the share of births to individuals who received adequate prenatal care declined from 78.5% to 76.7%, though the metric varied across insurance types. Data show that 82.9% of people with private insurance had adequate prenatal care, compared to 69.8% for those with public insurance. The report also shows 82% of white people who gave birth received adequate prenatal care in 2022, compared to 66.6% of Black individuals.
DPH said 4,454 people used fertility treatment in 2022, compared to 3,991 in 2021. Among those receiving treatment, more turned to assisted reproductive technology like IVF, with the rate climbing from 72.9% in 2021 to 76% in 2022. Nearly three-quarters of Bay Staters who used assisted reproductive technology were white, according to the report.
