Abstract
Background and Purposes : Maternal mortality, neonatal death and perinatal death rates are high in Bangladesh. To clarify the causes and to improve the rate, maternal health examination were performed in a Bangladesh rural area as a selected model. Materials and Methods : The maternal health records of 1,394 subjects that had been completed by a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers between September 2002 and April 2004 were analyzed. Results : The number of participants who visited the maternal health examination unit changed seasonally and showed a wave pattern, probably because of religious events, climate and farming. More than 80% of the women who visited the maternal health examination unit did so for the first time when they were more than six months pregnent, and approximately 70% of the participants never visited the maternity unit again. In addition, 7.5% of the participants experienced fetal loss and 7.7% of the participants experienced neonatal death. The incidence of participants with high-risk childbirth factors reached 24.2%, and 39.5% of the 162 participants who were followed up until delivery experiemced various abnormalities during the deliveries. Conclusions : The continuity and effects of maternal health examinations did not reduce the high rates of maternal mortality, and perinatal death in Banglodesh.
