Maternal mortality

Question 1

Define maternal death

Answer 1

death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes

Question 2

Define direct obstetric deaths

Answer 2

deaths resulting from obstetric complications of the pregnancy state (pregnancy, labour and the puerperium), from interventions, omissions, incorrect treatment, or from a chain of events resulting from any of the above. Eg. antepartum haemorrhage

Question 3

Define indirect obstetric deaths

Answer 3

deaths resulting from previous existing disease or disease that developed during pregnancy and which was not due to direct obstetric causes, but which was aggravated by physiologic effects of pregnancy eg. heart disease

Question 4

Define late maternal deaths

Answer 4

death of a woman from direct or indirect causes more than 42 days but less than one year after termination of pregnancy

Question 5

Maternal mortality risk factors (global)

Answer 5

poverty
rural areas
age group (young adolescents have higher complications in low income countries)
lack of access tgo skilled care
multiple pregnancies
unsafe abortion

Question 6

Maternal mortality risk factors (UK)

Answer 6

inadequate use of antenatal care
substance misuse
medical comorbidities
indian ethnicity
hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
problems during previous pregnancies