{"id":3001,"date":"2025-05-14T13:56:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T13:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/?p=3001"},"modified":"2025-05-14T13:56:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T13:56:45","slug":"many-pregnancy-related-complications-going-undetected-and-untreated-who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/?p=3001","title":{"rendered":"Many pregnancy-related complications going undetected and untreated \u2013 WHO"},"content":{"rendered":"

New research sheds light on major causes of maternal deaths<\/h2>\n
\n
\n

Haemorrhage \u2013 severe heavy bleeding \u2013 and hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia are the leading causes of maternal deaths globally, according to a new study<\/a> released today by the World Health Organization (WHO). These conditions were responsible for around 80 000 and 50 000 fatalities respectively in 2020 \u2013 the last year for which published estimates<\/a> are available – highlighting that many women still lack access to lifesaving treatments and effective care during and after pregnancy and birth.<\/p>\n

Published in the Lancet Global Health, the study is WHO\u2019s first global update on the causes of maternal deaths since the United Nations\u2019 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. In addition to outlining the major direct obstetric causes, it shows that other health conditions, including both infectious and chronic diseases like HIV\/AIDS, malaria, anaemias, and diabetes, underpin nearly a quarter (23%) of pregnancy and childbirth-related mortality. These conditions, which often go undetected or untreated until major complications occur, exacerbate risk and complicate pregnancies for millions of women around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstanding why pregnant women and mothers are dying is critical for tackling the world\u2019s lingering maternal mortality crisis and ensuring women have the best possible chances of surviving childbirth,\u201d said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO as well as the UN\u2019s Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP). \u201cThis is also a massive equity issue globally – women everywhere need high quality, evidence-based health care before, during and after delivery, as well as efforts to prevent and treat other underlying conditions that jeopardize their health.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020, there were an estimated 287 000 maternal deaths in total \u2013 equivalent to one death every two minutes. This new WHO study reports that haemorrhage – mostly occurring during or following childbirth – is responsible for nearly a third (27%) of maternal mortality, with preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders contributing to an additional 16%. Preeclampsia is a serious condition characterized by high blood pressure that can lead to haemorrhage, strokes, organ failures and seizures if left untreated or treated too late.<\/p>\n

Other direct causes include: sepsis and infections; pulmonary embolism; complications from spontaneous and induced abortions – including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies, and issues relating to unsafe abortions \u2013 and, anesthetic complications and injuries that occur during childbirth.<\/p>\n

The findings highlight the need to strengthen key aspects of maternity care, including antenatal services that detect risks early in pregnancy and prevent severe complications; lifesaving obstetrics that can manage critical birth-related emergencies like haemorrhage or embolism, and postnatal care. Most maternal deaths occur during or shortly after childbirth, making this a critical window to save lives. However, around a third of women \u2013 primarily in lower income countries – still do not receive essential postnatal checks in the first days after birth. \u00a0At a population level, broader preventive interventions could help reduce the prevalence of underlying health conditions – like noncommunicable diseases and malnutrition – that increase women\u2019s risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften not just one but many interrelated factors contribute to a woman dying during or after pregnancy\u2013 preeclampsia for instance can significantly increase the likelihood of haemorrhage as well as other complications that may occur even long after childbirth,\u201d said Dr Jenny Cresswell, Scientist at WHO and an author of the paper. \u201cA more holistic approach to maternal health has been proven to give women the best chance of a healthy pregnancy and birth, and of enjoying lasting quality of life after delivery \u2013 health systems need to be able to support them across different life stages.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study draws on national data that is reported to WHO, as well as peer-reviewed studies. For some causes, data remains limited. In particular, the authors call for more data on maternal suicide, which is currently available for only 12 countries. In addition, most countries do not report on late maternal deaths (those that occur in the year following childbirth), although several conditions can lead to risks lasting much beyond the birth itself. After childbirth, many women struggle to access follow-up care<\/a>, including mental health support.<\/p>\n

WHO works to strengthen access to high quality, respectful services across the continuum of pregnancy<\/a>, childbirth<\/a> and postnatal care<\/a>, through evidence-based research and guidelines. In 2024, WHO and partners launched a global Roadmap for Postpartum Haemorrhage<\/a>, which outlines key priorities for tackling this major cause of maternal death.<\/p>\n

In the same year, the World Health Assembly\u2019s 194 countries passed a Resolution<\/a> committing to strengthen quality care before, during and after childbirth. To galvanize action, World Health Day 2025 \u2013 which marks five years from the Sustainable Development Goals deadline\u2014will focus on maternal and newborn health. The campaign will call for a major intensification of efforts to ensure access to high quality, proven care for women and babies, especially in the poorest countries and crisis settings where the vast majority of deaths occur. Beyond survival, the campaign will also showcase the need for broader attention to women\u2019s health, including postnatal care and support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

WHO \/ Yoshi Shimizu<\/p>\n

About<\/h2>\n

The study, Global and regional causes of maternal deaths 2009-2020: a WHO systematic analysis, updates a previous analysis conducted in 2014 which covered the period 2003-2009. Haemorrhage was also responsible for the largest share of deaths in the previous analysis (27%). The study is available here: https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/langlo\/article\/PIIS2214-109X(24)00560-6\/fulltext<\/a><\/p>\n

Data were identified via three main pathways: the WHO Mortality Database; reports published by WHO Member States (MMEIG Database); and journal articles identified via bibliographic databases. Maternal causes of death are grouped into categories aligned with the International Classification of Diseases-Maternal Mortality (ICD-MM) coding: abortion (relating to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and induced abortion), embolism, haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, pregnancy-related sepsis, other direct causes, and indirect causes described above.<\/p>\n

New estimates for the total numbers of maternal deaths, including global, regional and country-level data, will be published in April 2025, covering the period 2000-2023.<\/p>\n

WHO – 8 March 2025<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\/item\/08-03-2025-many-pregnancy-related-complications-going-undetected-and-untreated–who<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New research sheds light on major causes of maternal deaths Haemorrhage \u2013 severe heavy bleeding \u2013 and hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia are the leading causes of maternal deaths globally, according to a new study released today by the World Health…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-3001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vesti","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3001"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3003,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3001\/revisions\/3003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3001"},{"taxonomy":"post_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthrights.mk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_series&post=3001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}