Postpartum hemorrhage
Every 90 seconds, a woman in the developing world dies from complications of pregnancy and childbirth,[1] most commonly of bleeding to death after childbirth.
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), or excessive bleeding after childbirth, is the leading cause of maternal death globally. Of the over 340,000 maternal deaths annually, approximately a quarter are due to PPH, and in sub-Saharan Africa the figure is over a third.[2] That is a staggering 112,000 mothers who literally bleed to death in childbirth.
And yet effective prevention exists.[3]
"Miso": A safe birth pill
VSI is leading efforts to ensure that misoprostol tablets are available for prevention of PPH to the thousands of women who cannot reach a facility to deliver, or who deliver in ill-equipped and understaffed facilities that render conventional methods of preventing and treating blood loss infeasible. VSI works with our partners to position misoprostol as a complementary strategy to achieving safe motherhood in the countries where we work.
[1] Maternal Mortality in 2005: Estimates developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank. World Health Organization, Geneva 2007. http://www.who.int/whosis/mme_2005.pdf
[2] Khan KS, Wojdyla D, Say L, Gu?lmezoglu AM, Van Look P. WHO analysis of causes of maternal death: a systematic review. Lancet 2006;367:1066-1074.
[3] Derman, R., B. Kodkany, et al. "Oral misoprostol in preventing postpartum haemorrhage in resource-poor communities: a randomised controlled trial." Lancet 2006; 368(9543): 1248.
Dorothy's Story
Dorothy lives in Ulanga District, Tanzania—a VSI program area—and received misoprostol at her prenatal visit after hearing about the tablets on the radio. Nine months pregnant with her third child, Dorothy was working in a field three miles from the nearest health center when she went into labor.
With her family, she immediately began the long walk toward the health center with her miso in hand. Between contractions and as they walked, she reminded her escorts that she needed to take the tablets immediately after she gave birth to her baby. As it turned out, the dirt road proved too long and the labor too fast and Dorothy gave birth on the side of the road.
It was there on the earthen ground she took misoprostol to prevent the life threatening bleeding that takes the lives of an estimated 130,000 mothers globally each year. Because of our program with the Ifakara Health Institute, more women like Dorothy can feel the same comfort and security knowing they have the life-saving tablets to protect themselves—no matter where they deliver.
