600,000 Women die worldwide from pregnancy complications

       A joint report by the World
Health Organization, the World Bank and other agencies estimates that
nearly 600,000 women die every year due to complications from pregnancy.
Most of those deaths occur in the developing world where 480 women die
per 100,000 live births. By comparison, in developed countries only 27
women die per 100,000 live births.

       In several countries, maternal
mortality rates are sky high. In Ethiopia, Somalia, Niger, Benin and Angola,
for example, over 1 percent of pregnant women die from pregnancy-related
complications, and numerous other countries have maternal mortality rates
higher than 0.5 percent. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of deaths,
literally millions of women are injured and disabled from pregnancy-related
problems, again largely concentrated in the developing world.

       According to the report, neglect
of women’s health (itself caused by neglect of women’s lack of education,
poverty and other factors) is the major contributing cause of high levels
of maternal mortality. For example, about 25 percent of all maternal deaths
are cause by hemorrhaging. Women in developing world are especially vulnerable
to hemorrhaging because of extremely high levels of anemia (about half
of all women worldwide suffer from anemia caused by iron-deficient diets,
and in some developing countries countries more than 80 percent of women
are believed to be anemic).

       Another 15 percent of maternal
deaths are caused by poor hygiene during delivery and untreated sexually
transmitted diseases. Thirteen percent of maternal deaths are caused by
abortions performed in an unsafe manner.

       Overpopulation.Com has a complete
breakdown of maternal mortality statistics.

Reference:

600,000 women die from pregnancy complications. Joseph K’Amolo, All Africa
News Agency, January 14, 2000.