UK women twice as likely to die in childbirth as Polish mothers
WOMEN in the UK are more than twice as likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth as those in Poland or Belarus.
British mothers-to-be also have lower odds of survival than those in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.
Britain is ranked only 24th in Save the Children’s annual State of the World’s Mothers Index, making it three years in a row that it has failed to make the top ten best places to be a mother.
The charity’s report found that women in the UK face a one in 6,900 risk of dying while pregnant or giving birth. This is far greater than many former Eastern Bloc countries and more than double the risk in Poland or Belarus.
The growing number of older mothers, obesity and high rates of IVF are all blamed for Britain’s poor ranking.
Nearly half of all babies are born to women aged 30 and older, and the number of children born to women aged 40-plus has trebled in 20 years. Older mothers run a greater risk of a range of problems, including potentially lethal complications.
British women are also among the fattest in Europe and obese women are more likely to die in pregnancy, have a difficult labour and suffer a stillbirth.
IVF helps childhood couples become parents but patients tend to be older and the medical problems that affect their fertility may also make pregnancy more dangerous.
Social deprivation and poor access to healthcare, especially in some ethnic minority communities and among asylum seekers, are also thought to have contributed to Britain’s position.
Patrick O’Brien, spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the UK’s ranking may have suffered because it collects particularly detailed data on maternal deaths. The inclusion of pregnant women who die i n car crashes, as well as deaths up to a year after giving birth, may have skewed the results.
‘Britain is an incredibly safe place to have a baby,’ said Mr O’Brien, a consultant obstetrician. ‘The reason the figures sometimes appear higher is because we are so good at chas- ing up and investigating every woman who has a complication and dies. We are never complacent and extremely thorough about learning about any problems that cause death.’
The five top spots in the table are all taken by Scandinavian countries, with Norway, Finland and Iceland in first, second and third place respectively.
Spain is seventh and Germany eighth, while Ireland and France also come ahead of the UK, taking 22nd and 23rd place in the index. The United States, however, is at 33, with the worst maternal death rate i n the developed world.
The Mothers’ Index is drawn up using international data on factors believed to be key to the wellbeing of mothers and children.
These i nclude education, income and political representation, as well as statistics on the survival of women and children. Those born to educated mothers are more likely to be healthy, while a country’s economic status is a good guide to a woman’s ability to provide for her family.
The proportion of women in government is included because a strong female input in politics is seen as important in shaping family policy.
‘Britain is incredibly safe’