What is Maternal Health?

 

Maternal health refers to the health of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period (42 days after delivery). For many women, motherhood represents the promise of life and the opportunity of the subsequent generation; however, for far too many women, motherhood is a grave threat to their health, their lives and the health and lives of their unborn children.

 

The statistics are unnerving. Every minute of every day, one woman dies due to pregnancy related complications. That is over 529,000 women each year, or 10 million per generation.

 

There are enormous disparities in the lifetime risk of maternal mortality between rich and poor countries. Ninety-nine percent of maternal deaths occur in the developing world. In countries such as Afghanistan and Sierra Leone a woman’s risk of dying in childbirth is 1 in 6.

 

But beyond the pure statistics, the evident disparities and the unacceptable number of women lost each year, there is an even more harrowing conclusion to be drawn. As a founder of the Safe Motherhood Initiative, Mahmoud Fathalla once said, "Women are not dying because of a disease we cannot treat. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving."

 

 Major Causes of Maternal Mortality

 

There are five major causes of maternal mortality:

 

Hemorrhage (excessive bleeding)

At least 125,000 women die of haemorrhage during childbirth each year for lack of access to safe, adequate blood supplies or transfusion equipment.

Eclampsia (high blood pressure)

Hypertension often goes undiagnosed, especially among poor women who receive little preventive or prenatal health care. At least 35 percent of women in developing countries receive no prenatal care, and half give birth with no skilled attendant (midwife, nurse or doctor) present.

Unsafe abortion

About one third of all pregnancies are unintended – some 80 million per year. An estimated 19 million unsafe abortions are carried out each year, nearly all in the developing world.

Sepsis (infection)

Sepsis is common after childbirth worldwide, when women give birth in unsanitary conditions or when clinics lack sterile equipment and antibiotics.

Obstructed Labor and obstetric fistula:

Malnutrition or anaemia may stunt women’s bodies, or the bodies of young girls may be immature and too small for a baby’s head to pass easily through the birth canal. Women without access to caesarean section may suffer days of agonizing labor. The baby usually dies and the woman may be left with an obstetric fistula (an opening that allows leakage between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, or both).

 

The leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity are largely treatable and preventable with education, access to health resources, and access to care by trained health professionals. But there are many important underlying factors that contribute to the threats of motherhood and that interfere with such simple solutions. Poverty, poor general health, malnutrition, illiteracy, discrimination, cultural barriers, a lack of decision-making power in the household and community and violence against women are part of the challenges to safe motherhood. To address maternal health requires addressing the underlying concerns as well, challenging the social and economic status of women, promoting human rights and empowering and encouraging women to take control of their own bodies and lives.

 

Overcoming the Challenges: A Global Partnership 

 

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, world leaders from 189 member states of the United Nations identified maternal health as one of the greatest global challenges to development and progress in the 21st century. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a set of eight specific time-bound goals to be accomplished by the year 2015, addressing the needs of the world’s poorest and establishing a united global agenda dedicated to eradicating poverty, promoting sustainable development and protecting human-rights.

 

o        Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

o        Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

o        Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

o        Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

o        Goal 5: Improve maternal health

o        Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

o        Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

o        Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Today we are halfway to the 2015 deadline and the world has made significant progress in achieving many of the development goals. Each day more and more people are learning about the Millennium Campaign and beginning to take action. However, despite increased awareness not all of the goals have received the same attention and not enough progress has been made towards establishing a world of greater equality and opportunity.

 

MDG#5: Improving maternal health has made the least amount of progress of all the goals. With 99% of maternal deaths occurring in the developing world, the women facing the greatest risks of dying during pregnancy lack the social and political voice to hold the world accountable to the Millennium Declaration. The world has pledged to reduce maternal mortality by 75% by the year 2015 and this goal, like many, if not all, of the Millennium Development Goals, is unattainable without the proper support of developed nations. The 2007 Millennium Development Progress Report suggests that the goals are still achievable even in the countries where the challenges are greatest, but progress will be heavily dependent upon the assistance and commitment of developed nations and the stewardship of individuals.

 

We hope that through participation in this project we will not only encourage and empower women in Kenya, but that we will also raise awareness and advocacy in our own country.