Essential pre-pregnancy and pregnancy interventions for improved maternal, newborn and child health.

ABSTRACT: The statistics related to pregnancy and its outcomes are staggering: annually, an estimated 250000-280000 women die during childbirth. Unfortunately, a large number of women receive little or no care during or before pregnancy. At a period of critical vulnerability, interventions can be effectively delivered to improve the health of women and their newborns and also to make their pregnancy safe. This paper reviews the interventions that are most effective during preconception and pregnancy period and synergistically improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. Among pre-pregnancy interventions, family planning and advocating pregnancies at appropriate intervals; prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections including HIV; and peri-conceptual folic-acid supplementation have shown

SUBMITTER: Lassi ZS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4145858 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature