Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology

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VOLUME 14 , ISSUE 1 ( January-March, 2020 ) > List of Articles

REVIEW ARTICLE

Maternal Mortality: What are Women Dying from?

Aris Antsaklis

Keywords : Delivery, Maternal mortality, Pregnancy

Citation Information : Antsaklis A. Maternal Mortality: What are Women Dying from?. Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2020; 14 (1):64-69.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10009-1626

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 05-07-2020

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2020; The Author(s).


Abstract

World Health Organization defines maternal death as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days after delivery, irrespective of the duration and the location of pregnancy, and irrespective of the cause, as long as it is related to or aggravated by pregnancy or pregnancy's management, but not from accidental or incidental causes during pregnancy.1,2 Specifically for the year 2017, worldwide, every day, approximately 810 women died from possibly preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. It is very important to highlight that of all maternal deaths, 94% occur in low- and lower middle-income countries, something that reveals the disparities of the quality of healthcare services that are provided in the different areas of the world. Another tragedy is that women are dying from preventable and treatable disorders such as hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis, and abortions which still in some areas of the world are performed under very unsafe conditions. Because of these unacceptable reasons and percentages of maternal mortality, it was decided that actions must be taken to optimize world's future health, and the Sustainable Development Goals were decided by countries from all-around the world. These are 17 goals to be achieved by 2030 to decrease maternal mortality and improve the healthcare quality provided to these women. In this article, we will present the global, European and Greek trends about maternal mortality in line with the major causes that are responsible for maternal mortality. Additionally, the reasons why women mainly in low-income countries do not have timely and appropriate healthcare will also be discussed.


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