Beyond maternal mortality - magnitude, interrelationship and consequences of women's health, pregnancy-related complications and nutritional status on pregnancy outcomes

The magnitude of maternal mortality in developing countries and its disparity with similar statistics from the developed world has touched a responsive chord among policy makers and health services program officials. What is not well appreciated, however, is that maternal mortality is only the tip of the iceberg--for every one maternal death, acute obstetrical complications cause suffering in nearly 100 women, 250 women contract a sexually transmitted disease, and 1000 women suffer stunting and/or anemia. All of these problems impact on the pregnancy outcome, both for the woman as well as for the newborn. Through a review of the literature, the magnitude, interrelationships and consequences of these various problems are described. The woman and the newborn are a dyad, a unit; what affects the woman typically affects the fetus and is manifest in the newborn. Safe motherhood programs need to pay attention to both, realizing that interventions aimed at the women can benefit the next generation.