Maternal Mortality
Defining
Maternal Mortality
A maternal mortality
is defined as 'the death of a woman [or girl] whilst pregnant or within 42 days of termination of
pregnancy, irrespective of the duration or site of pregnancy, from any cause
related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from
accidental or incidental causes¹'. A late maternal mortality is
defined as the death of a woman
or girl from direct or indirect causes more than 42 days but less than
one year after termination of pregnancy.
Measuring Maternal Mortality
There are three main ways in which maternal mortality is measured:
- Maternal mortality ratio
= number of maternal deaths per 100 000 live births during a given time period
This is a measure of the risk of death once a woman or girl has become pregnant. - Maternal mortality rate
= number of maternal deaths per 100 000 women or girls of reproductive age in a given time
period
This reflects the frequency with which women and girls are exposed to risk through pregnancy - Lifetime risk of maternal
death
This takes into account both the probability of becoming pregnant and the probability of dying as a result of that pregnancy cumulated across a woman or girl's reproductive years. In theory this is a cohort measure but it is usually calculated with period measures for practical purposes
