A new report shows that up to two out of five deaths of UK mothers who die either during or shortly after pregnancy could be prevented with better medical care, according to The Guardian.

 

One of the main takeaways from the report was that women should not stop taking medication during pregnancy until they've consulted a medical expert. 

 

The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity reports that out of every 100,000 women who gave birth between 2013 and 2015, 8.8 died either during pregnancy or up to six weeks afterward. Two-thirds of these mums who died had pre-existing physical or mental health issues. 

 

The report examined 124 cases of maternal deaths in-depth and found that only 35 percent of the women who died received good care.

 

 

41 percent of the deaths may have been prevented if the women had been treated with gold-standard care, the University of Oxford researchers stated.

 

According to the report, seven out of nine deaths from epilepsy could have been prevented if the women had better medical care. Of the women who died from epilepsy, a number had stopped taking their medication early on during pregnancy. This was sometimes because either the expecting mum or her doctor didn't know that doing so would leave her and the unborn child at increased risk from the effects of seizures.

 

The researchers also highlighted the importance of improved treatment for expecting mums with mental health problems.

 

Leading researcher Prof. Marian Knight stated, "I cannot over-emphasise to women with known health conditions the importance of seeking specialist advice before they stop or change their medicines in early pregnancy."

 

 

“GPs may not always have the expertise to give this advice and it is best to discuss with someone who has experience of managing your specific condition, such as your epilepsy specialist, psychiatrist or physician trained in pregnancy medicine."

 

She also advised that women who are trying to conceive get this expert medical advice before becoming pregnant.

 

"High-quality care can clearly prevent complications in pregnancy," Prof. Knight continued, "In order to continue to reduce the number of women dying in and after pregnancy, we now need to ensure all women can access this high-quality care with the appropriate teams of specialists before, during and after pregnancy."

 

An NHS England spokeswoman said to The Guardian, "Due to significant progress in care, the maternal death rate has fallen by nearly half over the last two decades. The NHS is committed to providing safer and more personalised care to new and expectant mums, which includes expanding access to specialist care for 30,000 more women each year by 2021, ensuring they get the individual care and support needed."

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