Maternal Health

In collaboration with the White Ribbon Alliance and the International Confederation of Midwives, the World Health Organization recently published the 2016 "Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Realities" report. Midwives play a crucial role in providing high…

Interested in a position in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child or adolescent health? Every month, the Maternal Health Task Force rounds up job and internship postings from around the globe. This month, we are featuring jobs at The White Ribbon…

According to data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, in 2015, HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age around the world. While estimates differ depending on the particular global context, a 2013 review concluded that…

Concern Worldwide and John Snow, Inc. hosted a forum this month in Washington, D.C. to spotlight new and promising innovations and strategies to improve the health and survival of women and children. "Think Differently: Fresh Evidence on Innovations for…

The causes of maternal mortality are complex and often begin well before a woman goes into labor or even becomes pregnant. Improving maternal health outcomes requires a comprehensive understanding of women’s health throughout the life course. Addressing…

In 2015, 5.8 million children around the world died before their fifth birthday. An estimated two million of those deaths were stillbirths and 2.6 million were neonatal deaths. Globally, the leading cause of under-five mortality in 2015 was preterm…

In Tanzania, about one-third of the estimated 45,000 annual newborn deaths are due to complications related to prematurity and low birth weight. Teaching women and families about low-cost, highly effective methods for preterm and low-birth weight babies,…

For the first time, the Kenya Essential Medicines List 2016 included misoprostol in the oxytocics section, indicating its use for the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, excessive bleeding after childbirth and a leading cause of maternal…

The World Health Organization has released a new set of antenatal care recommendations to improve maternal and perinatal health worldwide. The guidelines seek to reduce the global burden of stillbirths, reduce pregnancy complications and provide all…

To mark the launch of the fourth MHTF-PLOS collection, “Neglected Populations: Decreasing Inequalities and Improving Measurement in Maternal Health," the MHTF will be hosting a panel discussion featuring a Senior Editor at PLOS and several authors who…