Saving Mothers’ Lives: Reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer: 2006–2008

In the triennium 2006-2008, 261 women in the UK died directly or indirectly related to pregnancy. The overall maternal mortality rate was 11.39 per 100,000 maternities. Direct deaths decreased from 6.24 per 100,000 maternities in 2003-2005 to 4.67 per 100,000 maternities in 2006–2008 (p = 0.02). This decline is predominantly due to the reduction in deaths from thromboembolism and, to a lesser extent, haemorrhage. For the first time there has been a reduction in the inequalities gap, with a significant decrease in maternal mortality rates among those living in the most deprived areas and those in the lowest socio-economic group. Despite a decline in the overall UK maternal mortality rate, there has been an…

• RC
  Royal College of General Practitioners
• UO
  University of Southampton
• IC
  Imperial College London
• IC
  Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• UO
  University of Oxford
• UO
  University of Leeds
• CU
  Cardiff University
• UO
  University of Aberdeen