WHO has named the most common causes of death of pregnant women and childbirth

Researchers have found that bleeding is one of the most common causes of death of pregnant women and childbirth

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In 2020, a woman died every two minutes in the world from pregnancy or childbirth complications – a total of 287,000 deaths.

The main causes were bleeding and disorders associated with high blood pressure. However, many complications during the period of childbearing are not detected or treated.

This is stated in the global study World Health Organization (WHO) that Posted in the journal LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH.

The analysis was conducted on the basis of national data of WHO member countries, as well as other reviewed research.

During the work, scientists have found that one of the most common causes of women in pregnancy and after childbirth is severe bleeding, which caused about a third (27%) of deaths in 2020.

More than 50,000 deaths (16%) have caused hypertensive disorders. It is in particular about preeclampsia – a disorder at which high blood pressure can lead to bleeding, stroke, organ insufficiency and seizures, if left untreated.

Other direct causes of pregnant women and childbirth have included:

• sepsis and other infections;
• pulmonary artery thromboembolism;
• complications after voluntary and forced abortions, such as miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies and problems related to dangerous abortions;
• anesthesiological complications during childbirth;
• Injuries during childbirth.

« Often not only one, but many interrelated factors contribute to a woman's death during or after pregnancy. For example, preeclampsia can significantly increase the likelihood of bleeding, as well as other complications that may occur even after a long time after childbirth »– added the author of the study Jenny Kreswell.

Another 23% of cases of pregnant women and childbirth occur due to infectious and chronic diseases, including HIV/AIDS, diabetes, malaria and anemia.

Scientists have found that these states often go unnoticed, so they are not treated until serious circumstances. Because of this, millions of women around the world have complications of pregnancy, WHO is said.

« Understanding why pregnant women and mothers die is crucial to overcoming the long world crisis of maternal mortality and ensuring that women have the best chance of surviving during childbirth.

It is also a serious problem of equality around the world – women need high quality, evidence -based medical care everywhere, during and after childbirth, as well as efforts to prevent and treat other major diseases that threaten their health « – said Dr. Pascal Alloty, director of the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and WHO studies.

The organization believes that the results of the study emphasize the need to strengthen the key aspects of pregnant and childbirth care. They note that early detection of risks can prevent serious complications, and the right obstetric helps to cope with critical situations during childbirth and in the postpartum period.

Most deaths occur during or shortly after childbirth, which makes this time critical for saving lives, WHO emphasized. Instead, about a third of women – mainly in low income countries – still do not have important postpartum examinations in the first days after the baby is born.

Earlier scientists Find outthat adolescent pregnancy almost doubled the chances of women to die by 31 years.