Why Mothers Die: An Original Research in Odisha

Abstract

Maternal mortality is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of
pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by
the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes. Each year in India, roughly
28 million women experience pregnancy and 26 million have a live birth. Of these, an estimated 67,000
maternal deaths and one million newborn deaths occur each year. In addition, millions more women and
newborns suffer pregnancy and birth related ill-health. Thus, pregnancy-related mortality and morbidity
continues to have a huge impact on the lives of Indian women and their newborns.