Maternal mortality among refugees and in zones of conflict

Abstract

Every day, more than 500 women and girls in countries with emergency settings die during pregnancy and childbirth, due to the absence of skilled birth attendants or emergency obstetric procedures and unsafe abortion. Three chronologically ordered delays contribute to the increased maternal morbidity and mortality in conflict zones: (1) delay in recognizing the need to seek obstetrical care, (2) delay in reaching the medical facility, and (3) delay in diagnosing and receiving the proper care. When it comes to the causes of maternal mortality in states of conflict, the trends seem to be concordant with those seen in global estimations. Most common causes are preventable complications that could be avoided if proper care is given in the right time, including obstetrical hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and sepsis. Despite the apparent effects of war on interruption of access to reproductive healthcare, its direct consequences on pregnancy outcomes are less clear. Low birth weight, stillbirth, and prematurity were found to be consequences of conflict exposure. According to the World Health Organization, there are multiple evidence-based interventions that have been shown to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality, for which there is moderate-to high-quality evidence. © The Author(s).