Overview of the Relationship Between Obstetric Factors and Maternal Deaths: Systematic Review

Throughout pregnancy, various organ systems, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and more, adapt to pregnancy under normal physiological conditions. In addition to being a natural process, pregnancy causes physiological, psychological, and anatomical changes in the pregnant woman's organism. These changes begin immediately after fertilization, and they help meet the mother's and baby's metabolic needs and maintain the health of the mother and baby in the best possible way. All systems are affected to different degrees by the needs of the fetus. Maternal death is defined as maternal deaths resulting from direct factors related to pregnancy or the gestation process or from factors indirectly aggravated by these factors during pregnancy, during birth, or within 42 days after birth, regardless of the duration and place of pregnancy. Maternal deaths are subdivided into 2 groups: direct and indirect obstetric deaths. Direct maternal deaths resulting from obstetric complications of pregnancy. Indirect maternal deaths are caused by a pre-existing disease or diseases that develop during pregnancy and are not directly related to obstetric causes but are aggravated by the physiological effects of pregnancy. Many countries are making efforts on different issues to reduce maternal deaths, and most of these efforts yield successful results. However, in some countries, maternal mortality rates are still relatively high. Maternal deaths are a significant global health problem that must be solved as a priority. In this review, obstetric factors that cause maternal deaths and indirect causes triggered by these factors are mentioned.