Although maternal mortality is at historically low levels in high-income countries, it remains an important indicator of the quality of care, health system performance and, more specifically, maternal care. The comparison of maternal mortality rates in eight European countries was published in the BMJ. The researchers found that Slovakia had the highest rate of maternal deaths among the countries studied. The UK had the second highest. The findings come after a major review found that maternal mortality rates had risen in the UK. The study, by an international team of researchers including academics from the University of Oxford, looked at data on millions of live births in Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia and the UK. The UK data included information on more than 2 million live births between 2016 and 2018. They found that death rates among mothers in pregnancy and up to 42 days after the birth of their children ranged from 2.7 per 100,000 live births in Norway to 10.9 in Slovakia. In the UK, there were 9.6 maternal deaths for every 100,000 babies born. Across all eight nations, maternal deaths were higher among the youngest and oldest mothers, along with those born abroad or from a minority ethnic background in seven of the countries. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Researchers said heart disease and suicide were the leading causes of death. This, the researchers said, “underscores the importance of women’s mental and cardiovascular health and the need to develop strategies before, during and after pregnancy to prevent the morbidity and mortality these problems can cause.” In the UK, blood clots were also the leading cause of death among new mothers. “Despite its rarity in high-income countries, maternal mortality remains an important health indicator of the quality of care provided and health system performance,” the authors wrote in their study. “Maternal mortality rates up to 42 days after the end of pregnancy ranged fourfold, from 2.7 and 3.4 per 100,000 live births in Norway and Denmark to 9.6 in the UK and 10.9 in Slovakia ». The authors added: “Cardiovascular disease and mental health in women during and after pregnancy should be a priority in all countries.” They called on nations to learn best practices from each other to reduce deaths. In a linked article, Professor Andrew Shennan of King’s College London warned that variations in maternal mortality “remain one of the world’s starkest health injustices”. It comes after the latest MBRRACE report – a leading review that monitors the health of mothers and their babies – suggests that maternal deaths in the UK and Ireland are on the rise. The report found that 229 women died during or up to six weeks after the end of pregnancy in 2018 to 2020. This gives a maternal mortality rate of 10.9 women per 100,000 babies born – 24% higher than in 2017-19.
