THE DEATH of a woman while pregnant is rare in the developed world. Most of the 600,000 maternal deaths that occur worldwide every year do so in developing countries, writes Muiris Houston, Medical Correspondent
A maternal death is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant, or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy.
Death is either due to indirect causes or to a cause that can be directly linked to the pregnancy. A pregnant woman who dies from a pre-existing cardiac disease is an example of indirect maternal death. A number of women with puerperal psychosis take their own lives within weeks of delivery. And conditions such as epilepsy and asthma cause a small number of indirect maternal deaths.
Deaths directly related to the pregnancy may be caused by massive haemorrhage either before or just after the baby is delivered.
Pregnant women are also more susceptible to blood clotting, leading to death from pulmonary embolism. Infection is now a rare cause as is death from anaesthesia.