Causes of Maternal Mortality and Associated Risk Factors in Ardebil, Iran, from 2006 to 2016

Maternal death during pregnancy or delivery and 42 days after the termination of pregnancy for any reason other than an accident is called maternal mortality. Maternal mortality due to the complications of pregnancy and childbirth is a sensitive indicator of women status in society, access to care, efficiency and quality of healthcare, capacity of the service system to meet the needs of women and demonstrates the economic and social conditions of each society. In addition, mortality due to pregnancy and delivery complications is one of the most important indicators that shows the condition of developing countries. In this regard, this study was conducted to investigate the causes of maternal mortality and related risk factors in pregnant women in Ardebil, Iran, from 2006 to 2016.  In this cross-sectional study, registered information were extracted regarding   the mortality of pregnant women, including demographic characteristics, indicators related to pregnancy, childbirth, and causes of death from 2006 to 2016 from the Family Health Unit of Provincial Health Deputy. Finally, the collected data were analyzed.  According to the obtained results, there were 39 cases of maternal mortality from 2006 to 2016. However; there was no maternal mortality in 2008 and 2015. The mean age of dead mothers was 30±1.8 years (age range: 15-44 years). Considering the mortality stage, 10 patients died during pregnancy (25.6%), one patient died during labor (2.5%), 12 patients died 24 h after delivery (30.7%), and 16 patients died after 24 h. On the other hand, 11 (28.2%) mothers had normal vaginal birth (NVD) and 28 cases (71.8%) had a cesarean section. Moreover, 31 women (79.48%) were at risk. There was a positive relationship between the type of delivery (cesarean section or NVD), parity (the first and second pregnancy), and risk factors during pregnancy with maternal mortality. Hemorrhage was the most common cause of maternal mortality. It is worth mentioning that there was no significant relationship between the causes of maternal mortality.  According to the obtained results, there was a significant relationship between the number of pregnancies and type of delivery with maternal mortality. Moreover, hemorrhage was the most common cause of maternal mortality. Regarding the high levels of cesarean section effects on maternal mortality, it is recommended to carry out vaginal delivery. In this regard, it is necessary to take measures to conduct vaginal delivery without pain to reduce cesarean section rates. In addition, due to the high mortality rate in middle-aged mothers with a high number of pregnancies, it is suggested to use contraceptive methods, such as oral contraceptives, condoms, and birth control.