Maternal and newborn health

Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Newborn health refers to the babies' first month of life. A healthy start in life has significant repercussions for a person's health and well-being during infancy, childhood, and adulthood. Therefore, strong efforts are required from all countries to ensure quality of care in maternal and newborn health (MNH). Moreover, high-quality MNH care is integral to the right to health, route to equity, and preservation of dignity for women and their babies.

The total fertility rate (average number of children born to women during their reproductive years) in the WHO European Region was relatively low at 1.7 live births per woman in 2021, ranging from 1.1 to 3.2 in different countries. The total fertility rate in the European Union (EU) was 1.53 live births per woman in 2021. In recent decades, generally, Europeans have been having fewer children and this pattern partly explains the slowdown in the EU's population growth. At the same time, the population of central Asia has been increasing by an average of one million people annually and further growth is predicted. The focus of future strategies and interventions will vary across countries in the Region, but it is clear that action is required from all sectors of society to address the growing need in MNH.  

New data released by WHO and other UN agencies warns that, despite progress tackling maternal mortality rates over the past 20 years, in some countries in Europe progress slowed or stopped between 2016 and 2020. In 2020, around 1000 women in the Region died due to complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. In those places where direct causes of maternal deaths prevail over indirect ones, this indicates poor-quality medical care. Most maternal deaths are preventable with timely management, using evidence-based interventions by a skilled health professional working in a supportive environment.

Between 2000 and 2021, the newborn mortality rate in the Region halved (from 10 to 4 per 1000 live births). The first month of life is the most vulnerable period for child survival. Preterm birth, intrapartum-related complications (i.e. birth asphyxia or the inability to breathe at birth), infections, and birth defects are the leading causes of most neonatal deaths. A majority of children who die within the first 28 days of birth suffer from conditions and diseases associated with a lack of quality care at or immediately after birth and in the first days of life. 

WHO provides targeted technical assistance and strategic support to countries to help reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity by improving the quality of primary and facility-based care for pregnant women and their newborns and reducing inequities in the access to MNH care. 

WHO supports countries in reducing future preventable maternal and newborn mortality by:

• developing and updating comprehensive, evidence-based national policies, strategies and guidelines related to MNH;
• enhancing data collection, analysis, and use within the concept of continuous quality improvement;
• understanding the underlying factors that impact the quality of maternal and neonatal services;
• establishing a system of maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR), which includes clinical audits at hospital and national levels; and
• improving the knowledge and skills of health-care providers on evidence-based interventions in different areas of maternal and newborn care, including emergency obstetric and neonatal care.