Maternal mortality due to hemorrhage: population-based study in Turkey.

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological characteristics of maternal mortality due to postpartum hemorrhage, and to investigate whether national preventative measures of the Maternal Mortality Program have been successful in Turkey.

Design

A population-based cohort study.

Setting

Turkish National Maternal Mortality Data collected by the Turkish Ministry of Health.

Participants

Women who died due to hemorrhage during pregnancy or after delivery within the initial 42 days, from 2012 to 2015, throughout Turkey (N = 812/146). Main outcome measures: The preventability and problems in each maternal death due to hemorrhage.

Results

A total of 779 maternal deaths were identified during the study period. Our estimate of the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in the 3-year period was 19.7 per 100,000 live births. Of the 779 deaths, the report listed 411 as direct and 285 as indirect deaths. Direct obstetric complications were the leading causes of maternal deaths, the most common of which was maternal cardiovascular diseases (21%) and obstetric hemorrhage (20.6%).

Conclusion

Improving data surveillance and implementing national guidelines for the prevention and management of major complications of pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium is necessary to reduce MMR. The healthcare authorities of Turkey should continue to set a sustainable development goal of ≤70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. We believe our results may provide useful information for other developing countries that are aiming to reduce maternal mortality, as well as mobilize global efforts to improve women's health.