Maternal Health

According to the World Health Organization, maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Some of the major causes of maternal morbidity and mortality include hemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, obstructed labor, and depression. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize that a broader scope is necessary to ensure safe motherhood and have expanded their work to include the development and implementation of programs designed to prevent illness, death, and disability among women of reproductive age. Several risk factors and health disparities continue to place women at risk for maternal mortality and morbidity despite much advancement in technology and medicine (i.e., antibiotics, better obstetric procedures, and control of infections). Many of the complications associated with pregnancy can ...