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Women's health

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An estimated 99 per cent of women who die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications live in developing countries. Most of these deaths are preventable.

Be it in conflict, in a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, or in an HIV programme - women are in need of specific care. Reproductive healthcare is an integral part of the medical care we provide, including in emergencies. In areas where maternal death is high, such as in Afghanistan or the Central African Republic, we've opened specific projects to provide care to women. The five main causes of maternal death are haemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortion, complications linked to high blood pressure, and obstructed labour.

For information on safe abortion care, please visit our dedicated page.

Women's Health

Quick Facts

 
Journal article

Malaria in pregnancy: a call for a safe, efficient, and patient-centred approach to first-trimester treatment

24 Apr 2018
Journal article
 
Maternal and Child Health services in Douentza Hospital .
Photo Story

Medical services in northeastern Mali

13 Mar 2018
Photo Story
 
Salma*
Website

Because I'm a woman

msf.org
 
MSF activities and daily life of the refugees in Tasnimarkhola camp.
International Women's Day

Caring for displaced women

Press Release 6 Mar 2018
 
Maternity Hospital in Khost, Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Treating mums and babies in Khost, Afghanistan

msf.org 26 Jan 2018
 
South Sudan

“I left my namesake in Old Fangak”

msf.org 23 Jan 2018
 
Providing care to displaced communities, Tikrit district, Iraq.
Iraq

Crisis update – December 2017

Crisis Update 18 Jan 2018
 
Mohammad, nine days old, with his mother Seva
Iraq

Giving Syrian refugees a safe place to give birth

Voices from the Field 18 Jan 2018
 
Humanitarian assistance in East Daraa, Syria
Syria

MSF reports show more assistance is needed to meet healthcare needs

Report 20 Dec 2017
5000 Children of Adele (EN)
video

5000 Children of Adele (EN)

The 5000 children of Adele

Adele is a Central African midwife in the country's biggest maternity ward in Bangui.

This is the story of what it's like to help deliver babies under gunshots, but also what it means to be a woman in a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.

fieldresearch.msf.org

We produce important research based on our field experience. So far, we have published articles in over 100 peer-reviewed journals. These articles have often changed clinical practice and have been used for humanitarian advocacy. Read all our Women's Health-related articles on our dedicated Field Research website.

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Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF)