ABSTRACT
The major definitions and measures of maternal mortality are: maternal death – the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes (ICD–10); maternal mortality ratio – number of maternal deaths during given time period per 100,000 live births during same time period; maternal mortality rate – number of maternal deaths in given time period per 100,000 women of reproductive age, or woman-years of risk exposure, in same time period; lifetime risk of maternal death – probability of maternal death during a woman’s reproductive life, usually expressed in terms of odds; proportionate mortality ratio – maternal deaths as proportion of all female deaths of those of reproductive age, usually defined as 15–49 years in a given time. 1
