Pregnancy health

“My job is to get pregnant women to the hospital”: a qualitative study of the role of traditional birth attendants in the distribution of misoprostol to prevent post-partum haemorrhage in two provinces in Mozambique

Ndola Prata
Karen Hobday
Jennifer Hulme
Caroline Homer
Páscoa Zualo Wate
Suzanne Belton
2018

Background: Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal deaths in Mozambique. In 2015, the Mozambican Ministry of Health launched the National Strategy for the Prevention of Post-Partum Haemorrhage at the Community Level. The strategy included the distribution of misoprostol to women in advance at antenatal care and via Traditional Birth Attendants who directly administer the medication. The study explores the role of Traditional Birth Attendants in the misoprostol program and the views of women who used misoprostol to prevent post-partum haemorrhage.

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Maternal mortality estimation methodologies: a scoping review and evaluation of suitability for use in humanitarian settings

Blake Erhardt-Ohren
Sandra I McCoy
Dennis M Feehan
Rohini J Haar
Ndola Prata
2024

Background: Around the world, a maternal death occurs approximately every two minutes-most of these deaths are preventable. The maternal mortality ratio is a key indicator for the Sustainable Development Goals, yet we have no reliable way to estimate maternal deaths in refugee or internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and settlements. The goal of this study was to understand the methodologies most suited for adaptation for use to estimate the proportion of maternal mortality due to abortion complications in these settings.

Methods: We conducted a...

Maternal mortality due to abortion complications in forcibly displaced populations: A study protocol for a community-facility capture-recapture (CFCR) study

Blake Erhardt-Ohren
Dipika Paul
Anik Mahmud
Anika Tarannum
Karen Weidert
Altaf Hossain
Sayed Rubayet
Ndola Prata
2025

There is a paucity of research exploring abortion complication-related morbidity and mortality in humanitarian settings. The most recent data we have to understand the impact of global negligence on forcibly displaced persons’ reproductive health needs in humanitarian emergencies is from the 1999 United Nations Population Fund’s annual report, which estimated that 25-50% of maternal deaths in refugee settings were due to complications from unsafe abortion. This study will investigate maternal death surveillance and reporting (MDSR). The protocol will be implemented in a refugee setting:...

Climate education as adaptation: A scoping review of programs advancing maternal and newborn health

Cara Schulte
Blake Erhardt-Ohren
Yasmine Baker
Simone Gramling
Ndola Prata
2025
Abstract

Background: Climate change is a growing threat to maternal and newborn health (MNH). Alongside urgent emissions reductions, effective efforts to address climate-driven health disparities - both in MNH and more broadly - will require a stronger collective understanding of climate impacts on health. This will necessitate further investment not only in climate and health research, but also in climate and health education and literacy. Critically, the extent to which climate education can or is being used to advance MNH remains unknown.

Methods:...