Maternal Mortality in Bangladesh

According to the Countdown to 2015 for maternal, newborn, and child survival, only 9 of the 75 Countdown countries will reach the Millennium Development Goal 5 target to reduce the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 75% by 2015. Bangladesh is 1 country on track to reach this goal. This study was undertaken to determine how Bangladesh reduced maternal mortality, with a focus on change during 1998 to 2001 and 2007 to 2010. Data from 2 high-quality household surveys, the 2001 and 2010 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Surveys, were used for the primary analyses. The surveys assessed the country for maternal health, particularly national estimates of MMR, by obtaining information on background characteristics, full birth histories from ever-married women aged 13 to…