Why Gender Inequities Must Be Addressed to Improve Maternal Health Care
Posted onWhile some work has been done to develop gender-integrated interventions to improve the health of mothers and babies, there are still unexplored or unanswered questions about the relationship between gender and maternal health. A recent paper explored how gender dynamics—particularly gendered power relations—impact maternal health care access and utilization in eastern Uganda…read more
When Home Birth Is Not a Choice
Posted onWhile advocacy efforts around home birth—typically in high-income countries—tend to center on women’s rights to choose where they will have their babies, it is important to remember that home birth is not always a choice. Particularly in low-resource settings, women sometimes deliver at home not because they want to, but because they have to…read more
ProPublica Series Sheds Light on Critical Maternal Health Issues in the United States
Posted onIn 2017, ProPublica introduced a series of articles titled “Lost Mothers” to raise awareness about preventable maternal deaths and striking maternal health inequities in the United States (U.S.). The featured article describes an effort to identify the estimated 700 to 900 women who died from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes in 2016 in the U.S. Other articles highlight critical maternal health issues in the U.S. with an emphasis on racial inequities, quality of care and monitoring and surveillance of maternal deaths…read more
Disrespect and Abuse During Childbirth in Ethiopia: Comparing Women’s Reported Experiences and Researchers’ Direct Observations
Posted onAccording to a new study from Ethiopia, researchers observed substantially higher frequencies of disrespect and abuse (D&A) during interactions between health care providers and women than those reported by women themselves. Notably, the study found that women who experienced any complications or whose newborn faced any complications were over 15 times more likely to report any D&A than women who did not face such complications…read more
From the Archives | Female Genital Mutilation and Implications for Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health
Posted onIn Jamaica, Obesity Is Linked to Higher Risk of Maternal Death
Posted onIntegrating Family Planning Into Postpartum Care: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception
Posted on10 Papers That Address Climate Change and Maternal Health
Posted onThe physical environment has an enormous impact on women’s and maternal health. Climate change in particular has been linked to food insecurity and undernutrition, water scarcity, poor hygienic conditions, infectious disease outbreaks and increased vulnerability to floods, hurricanes, heat waves and other natural disasters—all of which have direct consequences for women’s health during pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum…read more
New Blog Series on Noncommunicable Diseases and Maternal Health: Call for Submissions
Posted onAs the world continues to undergo the “obstetric transition” from mostly direct causes of maternal mortality to more indirect causes, addressing the effects of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) on maternal health is becoming increasingly urgent. To highlight this issue, the Maternal Health Task Force is curating a new blog series focused on NCDs and maternal health…read more