A study in Nagpur has revealed that anaemia is a big factor in the high Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) as well as perinatal mortality rate (death of foetus after seven months of pregnancy or seven days of delivery) that is seen in the country. The two known major reasons for high MMR are high blood pressure (biggest cause) and bleeding before or after delivery. The research shows that anaemia is a factor in almost 72% of the latter cases. MMR can be due to ante partum haemorrhage (APH) or bleeding before delivery (from week 28 to just before delivery), or due to the post-partum haemorrhage (PPH), which is bleeding during and after delivery. Unfortunately, APH generally leads to PPH too, and death can result in the absence of blood transfusion or timely treatment, thus accounting for overall high MMR. Also, women who have undergone one or more caesarean section delivery are at high risk of APH. The study titled ‘study of obstetric outcome in APH’, conducted by Ayushma Jejani, a MBBS student of NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, has found that anaemia is one of the biggest cause of APH, in as many as 71.9% cases. She conducted the research on 57 women as part of an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) project with a stipend of Rs10, 000.

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