Archive: 2015

A young woman arrived at a health clinic in Sierra Leone with heavy bleeding. She was suffering from postpartum hemorrhage (PPH)—or excessive bleeding after birth—the most common cause of death for women after delivery. The midwife at the clinic acted…

Recognition that pregnant and postpartum women living in resource-constrained low- and lower-middle income countries can experience mental health problems is growing. However, a double disparity remains. First, prevalence of mental health problems among…

As world leaders prepare to announce the new global development goals for 2030, it is critical to strengthen and support midwifery care as it is well-positioned to realize the global maternal health goals. In July, the International Confederation of…

When clinicians from all levels of a health system gather together once a month, not only are communication and interpersonal relations strengthened, but program implementation and health outcomes also improve... read more

Luckily, devastating, obstetric emergencies are rare. But due to their rarity, pregnant women are at risk of not receiving the care they need when they face life-threatening complications if clinicians don't have a way to maintain knowledge and skills in…

Hospital leaders and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health recognized a complicated problem in obstetric care in Addis Ababa. Primary health centers saw few patients and referred many unnecessarily to overcrowded tertiary hospitals. To help fix the problem,…

What helps save the lives of about 800,000 babies every year and doesn’t cost a dime? Breastfeeding. Of all preventive health interventions, breastfeeding—done within the first hour of life, exclusively for the first six months, and until age two—has the…

"[My patient] had waited 41 years for treatment. It took me just 20 minutes and 1 stitch to give back her dignity," said Shershah Syed. Shershah, a leading obstetrician-gynaecologist in Pakistan, has long been a visionary campaigner for women’s rights,…

In Madagascar—where women face a 1 in 43 lifetime risk of maternal death—community mobilisation can improve maternal health outcomes. In rural areas, clinics and hospitals are located far from many villages, which means that transport in emergency…

In May 1855, Dr. James Marion Sims opened the first obstetric fistula hospital in New York City. Just 40 years later, it closed, reflecting a sharp decline in maternal morbidity rates in the United States and other Western countries. The Waldorf Astoria…