Maternal Mortality - A Global Issue

All over the world women are unnecessarily dying from pregnancy and childbirth complications.

As of 2007 the US ranked 41 out of 171 other countries in maternal mortality rate. It is estimated that 1 out of 4,800 women have a life-time risk of dying due to pregnancy-related complications in the United States. This compared to the top-10-industrialized countries' average of 1 out of 16,800.

The reason? According to experts, in many European countries and Japan in the industrialized world, women are guaranteed good-quality health and family planning services that minimize their lifetime risk.

The U.S. situation within the industrialized world aside, the other end of the spectrum shows there are 10 countries - all of them in Africa except for Afghanistan - where high fertility and shattered health care systems are causing extreme risks for pregnant women.

According to researchers, in countries like Somalia, Mali, Chad, and Niger, on average more than one in every 15 women is likely to die of pregnancy-related causes. In Niger, the estimate suggests that one out of seven women is vulnerable to death during pregnancy.

Lifetime pregnancy-related deaths:
Top 10 industrialized countries - 1:16800
United States - 1:4800
Bottom 10 countries - 1:15
Niger - 1:7

See Dr. Ali Adashi's 4 min discussion on the subject:



Read the Lincoln, Snowe Legislation to Reduce Maternal Mortality