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. 1986;64(1):79–84.

Secular trends in maternal mortality in Sweden from 1750 to 1980

Ulf Högberg, Stig Wall
PMCID: PMC2490919  PMID: 3524885

Abstract

Mortality statistics have been kept continuously in Sweden since 1750 and reveal that the maternal mortality rate declined from 900 to 6 per 100 000 live births over the period 1750 to 1980. Two-thirds of this decrease occurred during the 19th century and the remainder in the 20th century. In the 18th century, 10% of deaths among women aged between 15 and 49 years were due to complications at parturition, but today this accounts for only 0.2% of deaths in women of this age group. Life-table analysis indicates that 1 out of 29 women in Sweden lost her life in parturition during the 18th century, while today only 1 out of 1000 women dies as a result of complications during pregnancy and parturition.

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Selected References

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