At the Huffington Post, More Commentary from Dr. Ana Langer on the Maternal Mortality News

Today at the Huffington Post: Dr. Ana Langer, EngenderHealth's president, explains the importance of the latest maternal mortality research published in the Lancet -- and how it inspires us to keep moving ahead.

For decades, the maternal health community has been stuck on the number 500,000 -- the estimated number of women dying from pregnancy and childbirth each year -- a stubborn figure that keeps us up at night, that horrifies us, that refuses to budge. That changed this week.

Read the full article.

At Salon.com, Dr. Ana Langer's Perspective on the Maternal Mortality Numbers

At Salon.com, EngenderHealth's president Dr. Ana Langer provided some perspective on the maternal mortality numbers in today's headlines, including why the U.S. is lagging.

Dr. Ana Langer, president of EngenderHealth, an international reproductive healthcare organization, said that better record keeping might account for some of the increase in the U.S. The window for classifying maternal mortality has been extended from 42 days after a woman gives birth to one year. Also, in recent years, U.S. death certificates began tracking whether or not a woman of reproductive age is pregnant at the time of death. As for global changes, Langer points to an increase in contraceptive use, women's education and the use of skilled medical providers during birth. However, she was quick to point out that it's somewhat deceptive to say that maternal mortality is declining worldwide. The reality is that it's "declining in some countries with large populations."

Read the full article.

Dr. Ana Langer: One of the "21 Leaders for the 21st Century"

Please join all of us at EngenderHealth in congratulating Dr. Ana Langer, our president, for her recognition as one of the "21 Leaders for the 21st Century" by Women's eNews, an independent online news service. Every year, Women’s eNews selects and honors 21 outstanding people who have improved the lives of women and girls worldwide. This year, Dr. Langer was chosen for her leadership and dedication to improving the health of women and families in some of the world’s poorest communities. Ana’s profile is featured today under “Seven Who Rewrite the Rules,” which you can read here. Other honorees this year include: Kathy Cloninger (CEO of Girl Scouts), Tonya Lewis Lee (author and television producer), and Patricia Gruber (Peter & Patricia Gruber Foundation).

Fistula in Nigeria

Dr. Ana Langer and Brenda Drake, Chair of EngenderHealth’s Board of Directors, recently travelled to Nigeria, where the organization leads efforts to treat and prevent fistula. This Day, a leading Nigerian newspaper, covered Dr. Langer’s visit and the progress made in restoring the lives of women suffering from the condition. Check out the article.

When Planning a Pregnancy Can Save a Woman's Life

EngenderHealth's president, Dr. Ana Langer, authored an op-ed in the Huffington Post today:

"A new UNICEF report released last week is the latest in a series of drumbeats for a concerted, large-scale campaign to save the lives of mothers and newborns worldwide, far too many of whom are dying today from entirely preventable causes. With Congress back in session, a first order of business should be to approve a spending increase for maternal health and family planning in the FY10 Foreign Operations Bill.

"At stake are the more than half a million of expectant and new mothers who die each year, 99% of them in developing countries where maternal care is scarce. That's more than one woman every minute. Yet the number of maternal deaths has remained virtually unchanged for the past two decades. This is unconscionable, and it's why the Group of Eight leaders recently agreed that the world must do more to ensure that mothers everywhere can deliver their babies safely. Here in the U.S., we can do our part by doing more to fund life-saving efforts.

"When most of us think of childbirth, it triggers an image of a mother in a comfortable delivery room, holding the baby she'd dreamed of. Birth is a triumph, in part because pregnancy is never without some degree of risk. But in countries where women have a 1 in 8 lifetime chance of dying from pregnancy or giving birth, it can be tantamount to Russian roulette."

Read the rest of the column at the Huffington Post.