World Bank2012-08-132012-08-132006-05https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9617Over 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.CC BY 3.0 IGOABORTIONABORTION COMPLICATIONSABORTION SERVICESACCESS TO INFORMATIONADEQUATE PRENATAL CAREADOLESCENTADOLESCENT GIRLSADOLESCENTSAGE AT MARRIAGEAGE OF MARRIAGEAGEDANTENATAL CAREBABIESBABYBEHAVIOR CHANGEBIRTH SPACINGBIRTH WEIGHTCARE DURING PREGNANCYCARE SERVICESCHILD HEALTHCHILD SURVIVALCHILDBIRTHCLINICSCOMMUNITY PARTICIPATIONCOMPLICATIONS DURING PREGNANCYCOMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCYCONTRACEPTIVE METHODSCONTRACEPTIVE PREVALENCECOUNSELINGDEATH RATEDELIVERY CAREDEVELOPING COUNTRIESDISABILITIESDOCTORSDOMESTIC VIOLENCEDYINGEARLY CHILDBEARINGEARLY MARRIAGEEARLY MOTHERHOODEARLY PREGNANCIESEARLY PREGNANCYECONOMIC OPPORTUNITYECONOMIC RESOURCESEDUCATION FOR GIRLSEDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTEMERGENCY CAREEMERGENCY OBSTETRIC CAREEMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESEMPOWERING WOMENEPIDEMICEQUAL ACCESSEQUAL RIGHTSEQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMENESSENTIAL OBSTETRIC CAREEXISTING RESOURCESFAMILIESFAMILY PLANNINGFAMILY PLANNING INFORMATIONFAMILY PLANNING SERVICESFEMALEFEMALE GENITAL MUTILATIONFERTILITY RATEFERTILITY RATESFGMFIRST BIRTHFIRST BIRTHSGENITAL MUTILATIONHARD TO REACH GROUPSHARMFUL PRACTICESHEALTH CAREHEALTH CARE DURING PREGNANCYHEALTH COMMUNICATIONSHEALTH EDUCATIONHEALTH FACILITIESHEALTH OUTCOMESHEALTH PROMOTIONHEALTH RISKSHEALTH SERVICEHEALTH SERVICESHEALTH SYSTEMHEALTH SYSTEMSHEART DISEASEHIGH BLOOD PRESSUREHIVHIV/AIDSHOSPITALHOSPITALIZATIONHOSPITALSHOUSEHOLD INCOMEHUMAN DEVELOPMENTHUMAN RESOURCESHYGIENEINCONTINENCEINFANTINFANTSINFERTILITYINJURIESINTEGRATIONINTERNATIONAL COMMUNITYINTERVENTIONLABOR SUPPLYLAWSMALARIAMALE INVOLVEMENTMANAGEMENT OF PREGNANCYMARRIAGE AGEMATERNAL DEATHMATERNAL DEATHSMATERNAL HEALTHMATERNAL HEALTH CAREMATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMESMATERNAL MORTALITYMATERNAL MORTALITY RATESMATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOMATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOSMATERNITY CAREMEDICAL FACILITYMETHODS OF FERTILITY REGULATIONMIDWIFERYMIDWIFERY SKILLSMIDWIFESMIDWIVESMILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALMILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALSMORTALITYMORTALITY RISKSMOTHERMOTHER TO CHILDMOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSIONNEEDS OF ADOLESCENTSNEWBORNNEWBORN CARENEWBORN HEALTHNURSESNUTRITIONNUTRITIONAL STATUSOBSTETRIC FISTULAOBSTETRICSOBSTRUCTED LABORORPHANSPOOR MATERNAL HEALTHPOOR NUTRITIONPOPULATION DISCUSSIONPOPULATION INFORMATIONPOPULATION INFORMATION PROGRAMPOST-ABORTIONPOST-ABORTION CAREPOSTABORTIONPOSTABORTION CAREPOSTPARTUM CAREPOSTPARTUM PERIODPREGNANCYPREGNANCY COMPLICATIONSPREGNANCY OUTCOMESPREGNANT WOMANPREGNANT WOMENPRENATAL CAREPRIMARY HEALTH CAREPRIVATE PROVIDERSPROVIDER ATTITUDESPUBLIC HEALTHPUBLIC HOSPITALSQUALITY SERVICESRAPEREFERRAL SYSTEMREPRODUCTIVE AGEREPRODUCTIVE HEALTHREPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CAREREPRODUCTIVE RIGHTSRESPONSIBLE SEXUALITYRISK GROUPSRURAL AREASSAFE MOTHERHOODSANITATIONSECONDARY SCHOOLSECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATIONSEXUAL ACTIVITYSEXUALITYSKILLED ATTENDANCESKILLED ATTENDANCE AT DELIVERYSKILLED CARESOCIAL MARKETINGSTATE OF WORLD POPULATIONSTATUS OF WOMENSURGERYTERTIARY EDUCATIONTRANSPORTATIONTREATMENT OF MALARIAUNFPAUNPROTECTED SEXUNSAFE ABORTIONUNSAFE ABORTIONSUNWANTED PREGNANCIESUNWANTED PREGNANCYVIOLENCEVIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENVIOLENCE ON WOMENWOMANWORKERSWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONYOUNG WOMENYOUTHSWorld Bank10.1596/9617