Women who live in London are more likely than those in other parts of the UK to die during labour and childbirth, a study published in medical journal The Lancet has found.
The rate of maternal deaths for women giving birth in London has doubled in the past six years, from just under 10 deaths per 100,000 births in 2005 to just under 20 deaths per 100,000 births in 2010/11.
According to the study, maternal death is associated with increased maternal age, obesity, poor access to antenatal care, IVF treatments and multiple births. Along with perinatal and neonatal mortality, maternal death is used to help measure the quality of maternity services.
One of the studies authors, Dr Susan Bewley, a consultant obstetrician from Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London says the findings call for ‘urgent attention’.
‘We do know that women are becoming pregnant when they are older and fatter and have more complex health issues,’ Dr Bewley told the UK Daily Mail.
‘It could be that hospitals in London are actually coping surprisingly well against greater odds, or it could mean that there are problems with the services.’
Higher maternal mortality rates have also been reported in a number of other first world countries, including the USA, Canada , Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, while Australia has one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the developed world.
According to the Perinatal and Reproductive Epidemiology Research Unit at the University of NSW, the most recently collated data indicates that the death rate for women during labour and childbirth in Australia is 8.4 per 100,00 births.
More on pregnancy and birth:
2 Comments
在家上網就可增加收入 請複製右邊英文Now.to/6v5g
Reply利用零碎時間幫自己加薪！！請複製右邊英文 Now.to/6v38
Reply