Maternal Health Task Force
The Maternal Health Task Force strives to create a strong, well-informed and collaborative community of individuals focused on ending preventable maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide.
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Blog
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Diabetes in Pregnancy: A Neglected Cause of Maternal Mortality
Diabetes in pregnancy is on the rise globally, currently affecting roughly 14 million women every year. As with most problems related to pregnancy complications, diabetes in pregnancy is more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, which account for 88% of cases worldwide. Yet the countries where diabetes in pregnancy is most prevalent are the least likely to offer routine screening and treatment…read more
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Increasing the Utilization of Maternity Care: Does Demand-Side Financing Work?
In recent years, demand-side financial incentives have been increasingly used in low- and middle-income countries in an effort to address the well-documented economic barriers to maternal health care access and utilization. A recent systematic review examined the evidence on five types of incentives: conditional cash transfers, unconditional cash transfers, short-term cash payments, vouchers for maternity care services and vouchers for merit goods…read more
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International Day of the Midwife: An Interview With Geeta Lal
To mark International Day of the Midwife, the Maternal Health Task Force’s Sarah Hodin interviewed Geeta Lal, a maternal health expert who coordinates the Global Midwifery Programme at the United Nations Population Fund…read more
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New Positions in Maternal Health
Interested in a position in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child or adolescent health? Every month, the Maternal Health Task Force rounds up job and internship postings from around the globe. In this month’s roundup, we are featuring positions at Save the Children, Jhpiego, Management Sciences for Health and more!…read more
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Key Issues in Perinatal Mental Health
A recent systematic review found that one in four women in low- and middle-income countries suffered from prenatal depression, and roughly one in five suffered from postpartum depression. Additional efforts are needed to identify risk factors and develop culturally appropriate interventions to ensure that all women experiencing perinatal mental health issues are properly screened, diagnosed and treated…read more
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From the Archives | New Publications From the World Health Organization: Counting Maternal Deaths and Stillbirths
The majority of stillbirths and maternal and neonatal deaths are preventable, and yet every year an estimated 303,000 mothers die during childbirth, 2.7 million babies die within the first 28 days of life and 2.6 million stillbirths occur. Particularly in countries with insufficient health information systems, many of these deaths are not recorded or reviewed…read more
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[Summary] Too Much Too Soon: Addressing Over-Intervention in Maternity Care
On 24 April 2017, providers, advocates, researchers and policymakers gathered at the Wilson Center to discuss the growing trend of overuse of medical interventions in global maternal health care. The event, titled, “Too Much Too Soon: Addressing Over-Intervention in Maternity Care,” was part of the Advancing Dialogue in Maternal Health Series…read more
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Join Webinar 28 April | Diabetes in Pregnancy: An Epidemic Holding Back Progress
While maternal mortality is declining in many parts of the world, underlying conditions affecting maternal health—such as diabetes in pregnancy—are often under-prioritized. Please tune in on 28 April for the first webinar in a three-part series, Diabetes in Pregnancy: An Epidemic Holding Back Progress, hosted by Women Deliver…read more
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World Malaria Day: Renewing Commitment to Addressing Malaria in Pregnancy
On World Malaria Day, it is important to remember that malaria in pregnancy (MiP) continues to play a large role in global maternal deaths. In 2015, MiP was estimated to have been responsible for more than 400,000 cases of maternal anemia and approximately 15% of maternal deaths globally…read more
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Beyond Reproductive and Maternal Health: Non-Communicable Diseases and Women’s Health
On 15 March 2017, Management Sciences for Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Women Deliver, Novo Nordisk and the NCD Alliance hosted a panel discussion during the Commission on the Status of Women to call for the integration of the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) into the reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health continuum of care…read more