Global, Regional, and National-Level Estimates of Maternal Bereavement Due to Stillbirths and Neonatal Death

Ursula Gazeley , University of Oxford
Hallie Eilerts-Spinelli, Johns Hopkins
Monica Alexander, University of Toronto

Each year, millions of stillbirths and neonatal deaths leave behind bereaved mothers whose long term physical and mental health may be significantly impacted. Yet, the implications of these profound losses for maternal wellbeing are often overlooked in global health frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals, which treat maternal outcomes separately from stillbirth and neonatal mortality. We develop new indicators to estimate the risk that a woman will experience stillbirth or neonatal death over her life course. Our preliminary country-level estimates revealed stark inequities, with lifetime risk of either stillbirth or neonatal death as high as 1 in every 2.4 women in Somalia and as low as 1 in 439.8 in the Republic of Korea. The findings enhance our understanding of how rates of fertility, mortality, and pregnancy loss come together to shape an individual’s risk of experiencing maternal bereavement, along with its far-reaching consequences for health and livelihoods.

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 Presented in Session 35. International and Cross-Country Health Comparisons