How can you Prevent or Manage the Complications of Pregnancy?

Most maternal deaths are easily prevented by the following measures:

All women must have access to antenatal care and check-ups during pregnancy
Managing concurrent conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy and heart disease during pregnancy with drugs and preventing deterioration
Prevention of infections by educating about personal hygiene, hand washing and other measures, as well as prompt recognition and treatment of infections
Availability of skilled attendant/doctor during childbirth to recognize complications and promptly manage such as hemorrhage or rise in blood pressure

Proper care and support to women in the immediate postpartum period
Ensuring proper nutrition to women even before pregnancy and the entire duration of pregnancy and postpartum
Educating women about contraception and the importance of spacing between successive pregnancies to avoid damaging their health by frequent pregnancies
All women should have access to safe abortion
Educating women and their families on the risk of adolescent pregnancy

WHO Response for Preventing/Reducing Maternal Deaths

In 2015 the WHO launched the Sustainable Development Goals campaign aiming not just to reduce maternal and child mortality but also create a sustainable environment to ensure their health and well-being, allowing them to thrive. Some of the policies being implemented by the WHO in collaboration with its partners include the following:

Addressing inequalities in access to proper reproductive, maternal, and newborn health care services in various countries as well as within countries
Providing health cover for the care of pregnant women and newborns
Providing quality resources in primary care to recognize and treat common complications such as diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy, heart disease and infections during pregnancy
Improving health care delivery by collecting data on the needs and priorities of women in a given population
Continuous review of frequent causes of maternal deaths in a given population and institution of measures and guidelines to prevent similar deaths in future
Holding the health care personnel accountable to ensure proper care and outcome