Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage in Mozambique
Mother in Mozambique. More the half of all rural Mozambiqian women deliver at home without a skilled birth attendant, putting them at increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage. In response, the Bixby Center and its partners are researching the use of misoprostol distribution to prevent postpartum hemorrhage in home births in rural districts of Mozambique. Photo by Giovanni De Caro
The need:
In Mozambique more than half of all rural women (66%) still deliver at home without a skilled birth attendant. Women who deliver without a skilled birth attendant have an increased risk of dying in childbirth, most frequently from postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death. In fact, a Mozambiqian woman has a 1 in 45 lifetime risk of maternal death. Despite these grim statistics, there is some hope. Ninety-seven percent of pregnant rural mozambiquan women have at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit, an excellent opportunity to distribute misoprostol and educate women about safe delivery. The Bixby Center, working with Venture Strategies Innovations and local partners, is doing just that.
The goal:
To save mothers’ lives by preventing postpartum hemorrhage in home births with misoprostol tablets for women who are unable to reach a facility to deliver.
The study:
Working with Venture Strategies Innovations and Associação MoçamBicana de Obstetrícia e Ginecologia (AMOG), the Bixby Center is researching the feasibility, acceptability, and use-effectiveness of misoprostol distribution, often through ANC visits, to prevent preventing postpartum hemorrhage in home births in four rural districts of Mozambique. The study includes community awareness campaigns about birth preparedness and the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage, as well as misoprostol distribution though at ANC visits and through traditional birth attendants.