Factors contributing to the reduction of the global maternal mortality ratio

This paper addresses a critical issue in obstetrics. Reducing maternal mortality rate (MMR) has become part of the UN sustainable development goals, aiming to decrease MMR to less than 70 deaths per 100 000 livebirths by 2030.1 To meet this goal, it has become quite paramount to examine preventable maternal deaths and inquire into their underlying predictors. In The Lancet Global Health, Saifuddin Ahmed and colleagues2 used databases to quantitate the impact of improvement in maternity care, fertility decline, and contraceptive use in decreasing maternal mortality globally; however, estimating the global trend in MMR reduction is too complex and multifaceted to be restricted to just a few factors.