Maternal deaths in Australia 2012–2014

Publication

Release Date: 08 Dec 2017

Topic: Mothers & babies

AIHW

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2017) Maternal deaths in Australia 2012–2014, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 19 April 2024.

APA

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2017). Maternal deaths in Australia 2012–2014. Canberra: AIHW.

MLA

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Maternal deaths in Australia 2012–2014. AIHW, 2017.

Vancouver

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Maternal deaths in Australia 2012–2014. Canberra: AIHW; 2017.

Harvard

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017, Maternal deaths in Australia 2012–2014, AIHW, Canberra.

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The maternal mortality rate in Australia in 2012–2014 was 6.8 deaths per 100,000 women giving birth, which is among the lowest rates in the world. The most common causes of maternal death were bleeding in the brain and in the abdomen (non-obstetric haemorrhage). Women over the age of 35 and under 20 were more likely to die in association with childbirth.

ISBN: 978-1-76054-258-0
Cat. no: PER 92
Pages: 22

Findings from this report:

The most common causes of maternal death were bleeding in the brain and in the abdomen (non-obstetric haemorrhage)
Heart disease and blood clots in lungs were also common causes of maternal deaths
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander women have a higher incident of maternal death compared to other Australian women
From 2012 to 2014, there were 63 maternal deaths in Australia

Trends in cause-specific maternal deaths

Maternal deaths related to cardiovascular disease, sepsis, obstetric haemorrhage and hypertensive disorders have all shown a decrease in MMR.

Figure 6a: Trends in cause-specific maternal mortality ratios, Australia, 1973–2014

Note: Caution should be taken to interpret the triennium to triennium fluctuations in these cause specific graphs due to small numbers.

Maternal deaths related to thromboembolism have shown an overall decrease in maternal mortality ratios, though the recent trend has been a slight increase. The trend in early pregnancy deaths (related to ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage and termination of pregnancy) would appear to be a reduction. However, these findings must be interpreted with caution due to small numbers. There does not appear to be a clear pattern suggesting a reduction or increase in the trend in incidence for amniotic fluid embolism, non-obstetric haemorrhage related deaths and suicidal maternal deaths.

Figure 6b: Trends in cause-specific maternal mortality ratios, Australia, 1973 – 2014