Maternal mortality in rural Bangladesh: the Jamalpur District

During the 12-month period from September 1982 to August 1983, 9,317 live births and 58 maternal deaths were recorded in Melanda and Islampur upazilas in the Jamalpur district of rural Bangladesh, giving a maternal mortality rate of 62.3 per 10,000 live births. Maternal mortality was positively related to maternal age and parity, with the mortality risk rising very sharply beyond age 35 years, and beyond parity four among women aged 25-34 years in particular. The most common causes of maternal death were eclampsia (20.7 percent), septic abortion (20.7 percent), postpartum sepsis (10.3 percent), obstructed labor (10.3 percent), and antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage (10.3 percent). These findings indicate that family planning, by decreasing the likelihood of pregnancy after age 35 and parity four, can help reduce the proportion of women at risk of maternal mortality.     

Maternal mortality in Sirur

The research aim was 1) to determine the incidence of maternal mortality in a rural health center area in Sirur, Maharashtra state, India; 2) to determine the relative risk; and 3) to make suggestions about reducing maternal mortality. The data on deliveries was obtained between 1981 and 1984. Medical care at the Rural Training Center was supervised by the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, the B.J. Medical College in Pune. Deliveries numbered 5994 singleton births over the four years; 5919 births were live births. 15 mothers died: 14 after delivery and 1 predelivery. The maternal mortality rate was 2.5/1000 live births. The maternal causes of death included 9 direct obstetric causes, 3 from postpartum hemorrhage of anemic women, and 3 from puerperal sepsis of anemic women with prolonged labor. 2 deaths were due to eclampsia, and 1 death was unexplained. There were 5 (33.3%) maternal deaths due to indirect causes (3 from hepatitis and 2 from thrombosis). One woman died of undetermined causes. Maternal jaundice during pregnancy was associated with the highest relative risk of maternal death: 106.4. Other relative risk factors were edema, anemia, and prolonged labor. Attributable risk was highest for anemia, followed by jaundice, edema, and maternal age of over 30 years. Maternal mortality at 30 years and older was 3.9/1000 live births. Teenage maternal mortality was 3.3/1000. Maternal mortality among women 20-29 years old was lowest at 2.1/1000. Maternal mortality for women with a parity of 5 or higher was 3.6/1000. Prima gravida women had a maternal mortality rate of 2.9/1000. Parities between 1 and 4 had a maternal mortality rate of 2.3/1000. The lowest maternal mortality was at parity of 3. Only 1 woman who died had received more than 3 prenatal visits. 11 out of 13 women medically examined prenatally were identified with the following risk factors: jaundice, edema, anemia, young or old maternal age, parity, or poor obstetric history. The local hospital death rate was 5.7/1000 and the district referral hospital death rate was 13.9/1000. The home delivery death rate was 1.2/1000. 5 (33.3%) who died had preterm deliveries. 5 infants died perinatally, 5 died neonatally, and 1 died postneonatally. Infant mortality was 6 times greater among mothers who died.     

Maternal and perinatal health status in the State of S?o Paulo, Brazil

The assistance offered during pregnancy and labour as also to the newborn child, and its relationship to maternal and perinatal mortality in the State of S. Paulo in 1984, is analysed on the basis of official available data. With respect to prenatal care the number of visits per woman was considered to be "sufficient" though of doubtful quality. The proportion of cesarean sections was very high (46.2%). Maternal mortality was found to be 4.86 deaths per 10,000 live births, but despite its being high, this figure is certainly too low and the correct figure is probably twice as high. The principal cause of maternal deaths is toxemia in pregnancy, followed by hemorrhage and abortion. Most of these deaths could have been avoided with care during pregnancy and labour. The rate of perinatal mortality was found to be 29.2 deaths per thousand births in 1984. This figure is also very high. The analysis of the causes of death for this period showed that the disorders which arose during the perinatal period were responsible for 90 per cent of the total number of deaths. The main causes of death in this group were the intra-uterine hypoxias and anoxias, asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome and massive aspiration syndrome. These data bring to light the poor quality of the care offered to this group. The authors trust that the new policy of the Decentralized and Unified System of Health will take the quality of care as much as the integration of services into consideration with a view to overcoming the precarious maternal and perinatal health situation in S. Paulo.     

Problem of mortality in women of reproductive age in rural area of Haryana

To learn the extent of mortality among women of reproductive age, data was analyzed on causes of death, as reported by anganwadi workers and heads of households, for all maternal deaths in 1992 in Haryana, India. The community was comprised of 300,907 persons and 58,961 women (19.6%) of reproductive age. 9894 live births were recorded, which is higher than the national average. 219 women died in 1992 from maternal and nonmaternal causes (3.7 per 1000 women). In the study blocks (Rohtak, Chiri, and Kathure) the range of mortality was from 3.4 to 4.1 per 1000. 78.5% (172 deaths) were considered nonmaternal deaths. Mortality was 20.9% among mothers 15-20 years old, 25.6% among mothers 20-25 years old, and 18.6% among mothers 25-30 years old. 65.1% of women died at home. 58.1% sought medical care prior to death. 1.2% of deaths were certified. 36.7% of deaths were to literate women, and the remaining 63.3% were illiterate. Causes of nonmaternal death included accidents, respiratory disorders, poisoning, and digestive disorders. Slightly over 20% of accidental deaths were due to burns and suicide. 21.46% (47 deaths) were maternal deaths (475 per 100,000 live births). Maternal mortality ranged from 46 to 488 in the 3 blocks. Rohtak had the highest maternal mortality. Maternal mortality was highest among women 30-44 years old (996 per 100,000), followed by women 15-20 years old (575 per 100,000). 21.3% died during labor and delivery, and 68% died during the postpartum period. 57.4% died at home, and 25.5% died at the Medical College Hospital. 61.7% used prenatal services. 36.2% did not seek medical care prior to their death. 55.3% of deliveries were by trained birth attendants. 25.5% died with their first births. 51.0% of women with a birth interval under 3 years died. Maternal mortality was distributed by cause as follows: postpartum hemorrhage (17.0%), puerperal sepsis (17.0%), anemia (12.8%), preeclampsia and eclampsia (14.9%), obstructed labor (6.4%), hemorrhage antepartum (4.25%), abortions and MTP (10.6%), and indirect causes (12.8%). Improvement is needed in literacy, contraception, women's empowerment, and prenatal care in order to reach the goal of reduced maternal mortality by the year 2000.     

Maternal Mortality in Michigan: An Epidemiologic Analysis, 1950-1971

An analysis was performed of direct maternal mortality over 22 years (1950 through 1971) in the state of Michigan. The overall direct maternal mortality rate fell from 5.0/10,000 live births in 1950 to 1.5 in 1971. The rate among nonwhites was more than four times greater than among whites and the difference in relative risk did not narrow over the 22 years. Mortality rates increased with increasing maternal age but not with increasing parity. Nulliparous women had a significantly higher mortality rate than did parous women, particularly those over 25 years of age. when the white gravida of urban Wayne County were compared with the white gravida of 33 rural counties, no difference in direct maternal mortality rates could be attributed to rurality per se. Hemorrhage, infection, and toxemia were the leading causes of direct maternal death. The data suggest that hospitals with less active obstetrical services were associated with a higher risk of direct maternal mortality than were hospitals whose obstetrical services were more active. An increasing proportion of the direct maternal deaths was designated as preventable over the study period. It is believed that analyses of maternal mortality have led to improved perinatal and obstetrical care and that further advances require their continued support. (Am. J. Public Health 67:821-829, 1977)     

Maternal mortality in a rural district of southeastern Tanzania: an application of the sisterhood method

BACKGROUND: Deaths from maternal causes represent the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in most developing countries. It is estimated that the highest risk occurs in Africa, with 20% of world births but 40% of the world maternal deaths. The level of maternal mortality is difficult to assess especially in countries without an adequate vital registration system. Indirect techniques are an attractive cost-effective tool to provide estimates of orders of magnitude for maternal mortality. METHOD: The level of maternal mortality estimated by the sisterhood method is presented for a rural district in the Morogoro Region of Southeastern Tanzania and the main causes of maternal death are studied. Information from region-specific data using the sisterhood method is compared to data from other sources. RESULTS: The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was 448 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (95%CI : 363-534 deaths per 100,000 live births). Maternal causes accounted for 19% of total mortality in this age group. One in 39 women who survive until reproductive age will die before age 50 due to maternal causes. The main cause of death provided by hospital data was puerperal sepsis (35%) and postpartum haemorrhage (17%); this is compatible with the main causes reported for maternal death in settings with high levels of maternal mortality, and similar to data for other regions in Tanzania. The sisterhood method provides data comparable with others, together with a cost-effective and reliable estimate for the determination of the magnitude of maternal mortality in the rural Kilombero District.     

Maternal mortality in rural Gambia: levels, causes and contributing factors

A demographic study carried out in a rural area of the Gambia between January 1993 and December 1998 recorded 74 deaths among women aged 15-49 years. Reported here is an estimation of maternal mortality among these 74 deaths based on a survey of reproductive age mortality, which identified 18 maternal deaths by verbal autopsy. Over the same period there were 4245 live births in the study area, giving a maternal mortality ratio of 424 per 100,000 live births. This maternal mortality estimate is substantially lower than estimates made in the 1980s, which ranged from 1005 to 2362 per 100,000 live births, in the same area. A total of 9 of the 18 deaths had a direct obstetric cause--haemorrhage (6 deaths), early pregnancy (2), and obstructed labour (1). Indirect causes of obstetric deaths were anaemia (4 deaths), hepatitis (1), and undetermined (4). Low standards of health care for obstetric referrals, failure to recognize the severity of the problem at the community level, delays in starting the decision-making process to seek health care, lack of transport, and substandard primary health care were identified more than once as probable or possible contributing factors to these maternal deaths.     

Social differences in Swedish infant mortality by cause of death, 1983 to 1986.

OBJECTIVE. We sought to investigate social differences in Swedish infant mortality by cause of death. METHODS. All live single births in Sweden between 1983 and 1986 to mothers 15 to 44 years old with Nordic citizenship were studied. The causes of death were classified into six major groups. Mother''s education was used as a social indicator. Logistic regression analysis was used with identical models for all groups of causes of death. RESULTS. There were 355,601 births and 2012 infant deaths. Only for sudden infant death syndrome were significant social differences found, with crude odds ratios of 2.6 for mothers with less than 10 years of education and of 1.9 for mothers with 10 to 11 years, compared with 1.0 for mothers with 15 years or more. After adjusting for age, parity, and smoking habits, these ratios were no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS. The social differences obtained could be explained by the fact that mothers with less education smoke more, are younger, and have higher parity than those with more education.     

Mortality of women in reproductive age in the municipality of S?o Paulo (Brazil), 1986. I. Methodology and general results

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the death certificates of a sample of a quarter of all deaths in women of reproductive age (10-49 years) resident in the Municipality of S. Paulo, SP, Brazil, in 1986. For each death, further data were gathered by means of household interviews and from medical records and autopsy information where available. Nine hundred and fifty-three deaths were analysed, for whom there were good quality death certificates except with regard to maternal deaths an terminal respiratory diseases, the former being greatly under-reported. The official maternal mortality rate was 44.5 per 100,000 live births but the true rate was 99.6 per 100,000 live births. The three main causes of death were cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms and external causes. A great proportion of smokers was found among the deceased women (40.4%). Eleven percent of the deceased consumed large amounts of alcoholic beverages regularly.     

Causes of maternal mortality in rural Bangladesh, 1976-85

Of a total of 1037 women of reproductive age who died during the period 1976-85 in the Matlab area that was under demographic surveillance, 387 (37%) were maternal deaths. The mean maternal mortality over the 10-year period was 5.5 per 1000 live births (101 per 100 000 women of reproductive age). Major causes of maternal death, which were assessed using a combination of record review and field interviews, included postpartum haemorrhage (20%), complications of abortion (18%), eclampsia (12%), violence and injuries (9%), concomitant medical causes (9%), postpartum sepsis (7%), and obstructed labour (6.5%). Deaths caused by postpartum haemorrhage were positively associated with both maternal age and parity, whereas those caused by eclampsia and injuries were more common among young and low-parity women. If maternal deaths arising from complications of abortion are disregarded, 20% of all maternal deaths occurred during pregnancy, 44% during labour and the two days following delivery, and 36% during the remaining postpartum period.     

Risk factors for perinatal deaths in rural Bangladesh

Perinatal mortality refers to stillbirths and deaths which occur during the first week of life. 7 million such deaths occur annually worldwide, almost all of which are in developing countries. Rates as high as 75-100 deaths/1000 births have been documented in developing countries. The 3 leading causes of perinatal mortality are complications of pre-term birth, birth asphyxia and birth trauma, and bacterial infections. The other causes of perinatal mortality are largely unknown due to difficulties in documenting stillbirths in developing countries. In many developing country societies, it is culturally unacceptable to acknowledge a birth until it has survived its first week of life. This study identified and quantified the risk factors for perinatal deaths in a rural community in Manikganj district, Bangladesh. Cases were mothers whose infants died in the perinatal period, while comparison mothers were those whose infants survived the perinatal period. Of the 186 infant deaths recorded, 130 (69.9%) were in the perinatal period, and included 53 stillbirths. The perinatal death rate was 64.5/1000 births. Logistic regression confirmed that maternal age, parity, and mal-presentation were significantly associated with perinatal deaths. Mal-presentation was independently associated with a increased risk of perinatal death.     

Maternal Mortality Decline in the Kassena-Nankana District of Northern Ghana

Objective In the absence of an adequate vital registration system in Ghana, the Navrongo demographic surveillance system (NDSS) established in 1993 presents a viable alternative to monitor, in a poor rural district, the UN Millennium Development Goal on maternal health (MDG) of reducing maternal mortality by 75% between 1990 and 2015. Methods Of the 518 women aged 12–49 years identified in the NDSS database to have died in the Kassena-Nankana district in the period January 2002–December 2004, spouses or family members completed verbal autopsy interviews for 516 female deaths. Results Of the 516 female deaths, 45 were identified as maternal deaths. 71% of the maternal deaths were attributed to direct maternal causes while 29% were due to indirect maternal causes. Abortion-related deaths were the most frequent cause of maternal deaths. The maternal mortality ratio for the period 2002–2004 was 373 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births indicating a 40% reduction of maternal mortality from the 1995–1996 level of 637 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. However, the health-facility based maternal mortality ratio in the district (which excludes maternal deaths outside health facilities) was 141 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for the period 2002–2004. Conclusion This district may be on track to achieve the MDG on maternal health. Ultimately, strengthening vital registration systems to provide timely information to policymakers should supersede the other methods of measuring maternal mortality.     

Classification differences and maternal mortality: a European study. MOMS Group. MOthers' Mortality and Severe morbidity

OBJECTIVES: To compare the ways maternal deaths are classified in national statistical offices in Europe and to evaluate the ways classification affects published rates. METHODS: Data on pregnancy-associated deaths were collected in 13 European countries. Cases were classified by a European panel of experts into obstetric or non-obstetric causes. An ICD-9 code (International Classification of Diseases) was attributed to each case. These were compared to the codes given in each country. Correction indices were calculated, giving new estimates of maternal mortality rates. SUBJECTS: There were sufficient data to complete reclassification of 359 or 82% of the 437 cases for which data were collected. RESULTS: Compared with the statistical offices, the European panel attributed more deaths to obstetric causes. The overall number of deaths attributed to obstetric causes increased from 229 to 260. This change was substantial in three countries (P < 0.05) where statistical offices appeared to attribute fewer deaths to obstetric causes. In the other countries, no differences were detected. According to official published data, the aggregated maternal mortality rate for participating countries was 7.7 per 100,000 live births, but it increased to 8.7 after classification by the European panel (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The classification of pregnancy-associated deaths differs between European countries. These differences in coding contribute to variations in the reported numbers of maternal deaths and consequently affect maternal mortality rates. Differences in classification of death must be taken into account when comparing maternal mortality rates, as well as differences in obstetric care, underreporting of maternal deaths and other factors such as the age distribution of mothers.     

Certain aspects of infant mortality -- a prospective study in a rural community

A prospective study on infant mortality was conducted in the field practice area of Rural Health Training Center (RHTC), Jawan, Aligarh. A sample of 1792 registered families in 9 villages under RHTC with a population of 12,118 were selected. The household survey was done in March 1989 by a questionnaire on type and composition of family, socioeconomic status, family environment, age, parity, and interval between the births. All live births and infant deaths in these villages during the period of April 1989 to March 1990 were considered. There were 416 births in the study year, giving a birth rate of 34.02/1000 mid-year population. Male and female births were 52.8% and 47.12%, respectively. 33 infants died during the period, giving an infant mortality rate of 79.32/1000 live births. Infant deaths equalled 39.4% for males and 60.6% for females. Neonatal and postneonatal deaths made up 63.6% and 36.4%, respectively. 33.3% of the neonatal deaths occurred in the first 24 hours, 23.8% in the next 6 days, and 42.9% beyond this period. The mortality risk was high in 5th and higher parity births and lowest in 2nd to 4th parity births. Diarrhea (21.2%), pneumonia (18.18%), tetanus (15.15%), prematurity (9.1%), and unqualified fever (9.1%) constituted main causes of infant death. Pneumonia and prematurity were responsible for more than 70% of infant deaths. In the 2nd to 4th parity groups, diarrhea and tetanus were the main causes. Deaths during the first 24 hours were mainly caused by birth injury, while, during the next 6 days, pneumonia and tetanus were the leading causes. Beyond this period, in addition to the above causes, diarrhea played a major role. In the postnatal period, diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition were the main causes. To reduce infant mortality further, training of health workers, strengthening of delivery systems, maximum utilization of existing health infrastructure, environmental hygiene and health education regarding oral rehydration, and control of respiratory infection are needed.     

Cause of Death in Women of Reproductive Age in Rural Nepal Obtained Through Community-Based Surveillance: Is Reducing Maternal Mortality the Right Priority for Women's Health Programs?

We used a community surveillance system to gather information regarding pregnancy outcomes and the cause of death for women of reproductive age (WRA) in Kanchanpur, Nepal. A total of 784 mother groups participated in the collection of pregnancy outcomes and mortality data. Of the 273 deaths among WRA, the leading causes of death reported were chronic diseases (94, 34.4%) poisoning, snake bites, and suicide (grouped together; 55, 20.1%), and accidents (29, 10.6%), while maternal mortality accounted for 7%. Nevertheless, the calculated maternal mortality ratio was quite high (259.3 per 100,000 live births).     

Birth rates and reproductive risk in adolescents in Chile, 1990-1999]

OBJECTIVE: For Chilean teenage mothers under 15 years old and from 15 to 19 years old, to evaluate the trends in birth rates and reproductive risk for the period of 1990-1999. METHODS: A database was constructed using data from the Demography Yearbook (Anuario de demografía) volumes published by Chile's National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas) for 1990-1999. From that database we calculated the trends in the number of live births and in the rates of maternal mortality, late fetal mortality, neonatal mortality, and infant mortality among the teenage mothers under 15 and from 15 to 19 years old. We calculated the risk odds ratio (OR) for both of those age groups in comparison with women from 20 to 34 years old. The groups were compared using Fisher's exact test or the chi-square test, and the analysis of trends in the period studied was carried out with Pearson's correlation, with an alpha level of 0.05. RESULTS: In the period studied, for the teenage mothers under age 15, the respective rates for maternal mortality, late fetal mortality, neonatal mortality, and infant mortality were 41.9 per 100 000 live births, 5.1 per 1 000 live births, 15.2 per 1 000 live births, and 27.4 per 1 000 live births. For the adolescents from 15 to 19 years, the corresponding rates were 19.3, 4.1, 8.1, and 16.6; for the women 20-34 years old, they were 26.8, 5.0, 6.7, and 12.1. The adolescents under 15 had higher risks of maternal mortality (OR = 1.56; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50 to 4.31; P = 0.372) and of fetal mortality (OR = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.76 to 1.36; P = 0.890), but those differences were not statistically significant. However, the younger adolescents did have significantly higher risks of neonatal mortality (OR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.92-2.68; P < 0.0001) and of infant mortality (OR = 2.39; 95% CI: 2.04 to 2.62; P < 0.0001). In comparison to the women 20-34 years old, the teenage mothers from 15 to 19 years old had significantly lower risks of maternal mortality (OR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.92; P < 0.008) and of fetal mortality (OR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.77 to 0.86; P < 0.0001) but significantly higher risks of neonatal mortality (OR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.25; P < 0.0001) and of infant mortality (OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.35 to 1.42; P < 0.0001). Among both the older teenage mothers and the mothers 20-34 years old there was a significant downward trend in maternal, fetal, neonatal, and infant mortality rates in the period studied; in the younger adolescents only neonatal mortality and infant mortality declined significantly. There was a rising trend in the number of live births among the two groups of teenage mothers, but that trend was statistically significant only for the mothers under 15; among mothers 20-34 years old there was a statistically significant downward trend. CONCLUSIONS: In the period studied, the Chilean teenage mothers faced greater reproductive risk than did the women 20-34 years old. The number of live births among teenage mothers tended to rise during the 1990-1999 period, but the change was significant only for the mothers under age 15. These results point to the need to develop programs that improve both sex education and birth control practices starting in early adolescence.     

Adoption of Medicaid Expansion Is Associated with Lower Maternal Mortality

ObjectivesThis study explores the effect of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act on the maternal mortality ratio in the United States.MethodsA difference-in-differences research design was used to analyze the effect of Medicaid expansion on maternal mortality. Maternal mortality was defined with and without late maternal deaths, to substantiate the contribution of increased preconception and postpartum insurance coverage. To examine whether there was a racial difference in the effects of Medicaid expansion, models were stratified by the woman's race/ethnicity for non-Hispanic Black women, non-Hispanic White women, and Hispanic women.ResultsMedicaid expansion was significantly associated with lower maternal mortality by 7.01 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (p = .002) relative to nonexpansion states. When maternal mortality definitions excluded late maternal deaths, Medicaid expansion was significantly associated with a decrease in maternal mortality per 100,000 live births by 6.65 (p = .004) relative to nonexpansion states. Medicaid expansion effects were concentrated among non-Hispanic Black mothers, suggesting that expansion could be contributing to decreasing racial disparities in maternal mortality.ConclusionsAlthough maternal mortality overall continues to increase in the United States, the maternal mortality ratio among Medicaid expansion states has increased much less compared with nonexpansion states. These results suggest that Medicaid expansion could be contributing to a relative decrease in the maternal mortality ratio in the United States. The decrease in the maternal mortality ratio is greater when maternal mortality estimates include late maternal deaths, suggesting that sustained insurance coverage after childbirth as well as improved preconception coverage could be contributing to decreasing maternal mortality.