Psychological intervention

Gerontology

Demography

Reproductive medicine

Maternal health

Biology

Maternal death

Developing country

Childbirth

Infant mortality

Psychiatry

Cause of death

Obstetric transition

Economics

Environmental health

Genetics

Life table

Longevity

Child mortality

Life expectancy

Health services

Population

Internal medicine

Sociology

Reproductive health

Medicine

Economic growth

Disease

Mortality rate

Pregnancy

Pathology

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Almost 99% of pregnancy or childbirth-related complications globally is estimated to occur in developing regions. Yet, little is known about the demographic impact of maternal causes of death (COD) in low-and middle-income countries. Assuming that critical interventions were implemented such that maternal mortality is eradicated as a major cause of death, how would it translate to improved longevity for reproductive-aged women in the Kintampo districts of Ghana?The study used longitudinal health and demographic surveillance data from the Kintampo districts to assess the effect of hypothetically eradicating maternal COD on reproductive-aged life expectancy by applying multiple decrement and associated single decrement life table techniques.According to the results, on the average, women would have lived an additional 4.4 years in their reproductive age if maternal mortality were eradicated as a cause of death, rising from an average of 28.7 years lived during the 2005-2014 period to 33.1 years assuming that maternal mortality was eradicated. The age patterns of maternal-related mortality and all-cause mortality depict that the maternal-related mortality is different from the all-cause mortality for women of reproductive age.This observation suggests that other COD are competing with maternal mortality among the WRA in the study area and during the study period.

Potential gains in reproductive-aged life expectancy if maternal mortality were eradicated from the Kintampo districts of Central Ghana