Maternal Death - Research Paper Example

Maternal death According to WHO, maternal death refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days after the termination of her pregnancy (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). For a death to be considered maternal, it must have been caused or provoked by the pregnancy or its management notwithstanding the duration and site of the pregnancy. The cause should however not be accidental or incidental (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). There are two categories of maternal death, namely the direct and the indirect maternal deaths. Direct maternal death is caused by a complication of pregnancy or delivery or their management (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). Indirect maternal death on the other hand is a death related to pregnancy, but caused by already existing or newly developed health problems (Huron, 2005). Those deaths occurring to women during pregnancy but are not related in any way to that pregnancy are referred to as accidental. However, many other definitions are contrary to this. Such definitions offer an extension of the duration for consideration after the termination of the pregnancy to one year. Other definitions incorporate incidental and accidental deaths of pregnant women as maternal death (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). Therefore, there lacks a universal definition of maternal death. As such, the issue of maternal death is complex, starting from its definition, to its causes. While there is wide range of information sources regarding maternal death, the sources have not tackled the subject comprehensively, with a gap being left for more research to be undertaken in this field (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). Although it is a complex issue, there is much that is known about maternal death. One of the issues well studied and understood is the causes of this death. The remedies to these causes have also been researched and developed. The direct causes attributable to this death include bleeding. This is known to account for 25% of all maternal deaths (Thaddeus, 1994). This bleeding is caused by hemorrhage or deep vein thrombosis. A lack of skilled medical care during birth could also lead to bleeding, since cuts could be made in a way they are not supposed to be made. If not addressed, bleeding can kill a woman within two hours after birth. Therefore, it is supposed to be addressed immediately it is discovered, through the injection of oxytocin immediately after birth. The other cause of maternal death has been observed to be infections, which normally occurs after birth. After birth infections, accounts for 13% of all known maternal death (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). Therefore, it can be prevented through the observation of hygiene after the birth of the child by a woman. If the signs of infections are discovered earlier, then seeking medical attention is important to eliminate infection related deaths. High blood pressure is another cause of maternal death, which accounts for 12% of such deaths in women. This needs to be discovered and managed earlier, just before it causes convulsions and other complications to the pregnant woman. The effects of high blood pressure can be lowered through the administration of magnesium sulfate, which lowers the risk of developing the high blood pressure in pregnant women (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). Obstructed labor is another cause of maternal death. This mostly occurs when the head of the unborn child is too big for its mother’s pelvis. It can also occur, on the event that the baby is poorly positioned in the uterus (Huron, 2005). It is known to cause 8% of all maternal deaths and as a result needs to be controlled. Obstructed labor can be addressed by the use of partograph, which detects the conditions of a baby before birth. When observed that the conditions are likely to cause prolonged labor pain, then a caesarian delivery can be opted for, to reduce risks associated with obstructed labor for the mother and the child. There are other causes of maternal deaths, which are classified as indirect. They include diseases such as malaria, anemia, and HIV (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). Unsafe abortion is another cause of maternal death. Unintended pregnancies are noted to be a major cause of maternal death, with a 0.7 million deaths recorded between 1995 and 200. Of these deaths, 64% was accounted for by complications arising from unsafe or unhygienic abortion practices (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). There is an observed trend of high maternal deaths occurring in countries that have a high mortality rate, a clear indication that poverty and lack of proper medical care contributes to maternal death (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). However, there is a greater decrease in the number of maternal deaths globally, dropping from 0.5 million in 1980 to 0.3 million in 2008. These deaths have continued decreasing consistently at a rate of 1.4 % every year (Thaddeus, 1994). Other factors have been associated with maternal deaths the world over. As observed, poor women are the most affected by these deaths, notably those in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. The deaths associated with these regions are as a result of a lack of good medical care for these women during pregnancy and birth (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). As opposed to women in these regions, those in developed countries have an access to antenatal care at least four times and easily access good care during birth. This has effectively reduced the comparative rates of maternal deaths. The factors contributing to lack of access to good medical care during pregnancy and after birth include poverty, which hinders such women from affording the requisite medical bills. Distance from where they live to where they can access such medical attention also affects their ability to access such care. There also lacks many qualified medical practitioners to address such needs of pregnant women. Lack of information comes in handy as yet another factor, in that, many women from the less developed countries lacks sufficient information regarding the need for antenatal and postnatal medical care. That way, they end up not attending to any. This increase the risks of maternal deaths, associated with a lack of adequate medical care (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). Cultural practices are another barrier to the adequate access of medical care, thus increasing the chances of maternal deaths. In regions where cultural practices hinder seeking medical attention by preferring traditional methods of birth, risks of maternal deaths are higher. Concerning maternal death, there is a lot of information that is not known, which creates a knowledge gap. Getting an accurate measure of maternal mortality rate globally is one such knowledge gap (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). It is difficult to get such accurate information, because one requires to have accurate data of pregnant women and the number of live births the world over. Accurate information on maternal death is yet another missing information, in that, women may die of illegal abortions and other deaths that are not ascertained, which could be classified as maternal deaths. Another inconsistency of information relates to the duration of consideration within which a death is considered maternal. While some definition qualifies such deaths if it occurs within 42 days after the termination of pregnancy, some requires a longer duration of one year. Additionally, the death of a woman occurring within such duration after her pregnancy is terminated may not necessarily be caused by child bearing (Temmerman & Verstraelen, 2004). The number of births is another issue creating knowledge gap and inconsistency. While in some countries there is no birth registration system, in others where there is, some births passes unregistered. Further the birth to be classified as live is another issue of contention (Thaddeus, 1994). Therefore, information regarding maternal death is mostly availed through technical estimations and good –guess. Thus, there are information gaps and inconsistencies regarding maternal mortality that needs to be addressed through further research and studies in the area. Work Cited Huron, D. (2005). Underreporting of pregnancy-associated deaths. Journal of Public Health. Thaddeus, M. (1994). Too far to walk: Maternal mortality in context. Journal of Social Science & Medicine. Temmerman , M. & Verstraelen , H. (2004). Delayed childbearing and maternal mortality. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. Volume 114. 1. p19–52. Read More