Publication: Maternal Mortality
Date
2006-05
ISSN
Published
2006-05
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Over 529,000 women die annually from
complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or the
postpartum period. Nearly all of these deaths occur in
developing countries, where fertility rates are higher and a
woman's life time risk of dying during pregnancy and
childbirth is over 400 times higher than in developed
countries. Additionally, an estimated 20 million women
endure lifelong disabilities such as pelvic pain,
incontinence, obstetric fistula, anemia and infertility. The
main direct causes of maternal death are severe bleeding,
unsafe abortion, infection, eclampsia, and obstructed labor;
the indirect causes include anemia, malaria, heart disease,
and HIV. Pregnancy complications are the main cause of death
for women aged 15-19. High maternal mortality rates in many
countries result from poor reproductive health care,
including not having access to skilled care during pregnancy
and childbirth and access to safe abortion even where it is
legal, especially for the poorest women. Risks of poor
outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth are exacerbated by
poverty, low status of women, lack of education, poor
nutrition, heavy workloads and violence. While many factors
contribute to maternal death, one of the most effective
means of preventing maternal health is to improve health
systems and primary health care to ensure availability of
skilled attendance at all levels and access to 24-hour
emergency obstetric care. Family planning services could
also reduce maternal deaths and morbidities by 30 percent.
Prevention of unwanted pregnancies and access to safe
abortion as allowed by law and post abortion care services
could reduce maternal deaths and injuries caused by unsafe
abortions - over 68,000 women die from unsafe abortions annually.
Citation
“World Bank. 2006. Maternal Mortality. at a glance. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/56d0cf0b-dc23-5e95-9376-cf380e378200 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”