EngenderHealth's perspective on new UN maternal mortality estimates

by Pam Barnes, President of EngenderHealth

Trends in Maternal Mortality, 1990 to 2008, just released by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNFPA, and The World Bank, reports that the number of women dying globally due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34%, from 546,000 in 1990 to 358,000 in 2008. This is one more piece of evidence that investments to improve maternal health are indeed paying off. It also corroborates research published in Lancet earlier this year that showed a similar, modest decline in the number of women dying from pregnancy complications.

While we know that fewer women are dying, there is clearly much more work to be done. In this latest United Nations report, only 10 out of 87 countries with maternal mortality ratios equal to or over 100 in 1990 are on track to achieving Millennium Development Goal No. 5 (MDG 5) by 2015. Also, 30 countries made insufficient or no progress since 1990. (See the full report and press release for more information.)

Furthermore, for every life lost due to pregnancy or childbirth complications, about 20 women suffer from maternal morbidity, including obstetric fistula. And if we are going to continue this positive downward trend, we must improve the health of mothers in places with high levels of HIV, specifically Sub-Saharan Africa, and refocus attention to address women's holistic needs, providing high-quality family planning, obstetric, and HIV services under one roof.

As we were reminded at the recent Global Maternal Health Conference 2010, which brought together nearly 700 maternal health experts, solutions exist, and we know what they are. To reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, women must have better access to:

• Family planning, with other related sexual and reproductive health services
• Skilled care during pregnancy
• Emergency obstetric care
• Immediate postpartum care

Next week, the world’s leaders will descend on New York City for high-level events, including the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals and the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. The good news is momentum behind MDG 5 has never been higher. This is welcome news for all of us who care deeply about improving sexual and reproductive health in the world's poorest communities. The key now is to harness this energy to ensure that our governments deliver on their commitments to ensure universal access to reproductive health and to reduce maternal mortality by 75%.

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.