Maternal mortality: one death every seven minutes

Written by Malcolm Potts

This article highlights new evidence supporting the use of misoprostol to treat post partum haemorrhage, which may be the only intervention available in resource poor settings. Post partum haemorrhage is the commonest cause of maternal death, from which one women dies every 7 minutes.

Abstract

99% of all deaths in childbirth are in the least developed countries. Annually, 45 million women deliver without a skilled birth attendant, a situation in which the greatest number of maternal deaths occur. In many low-resource settings, having enough skilled birth attendants remains a distant goal. The commonest single cause of maternal death is from post-partum haemorrhage, from which one women dies every 7 min.

To view the rest of this article, please go to DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60750-7