[Postpartum hemorrhage: frequency, consequences in terms of health status, and risk factors before delivery]

Abstract

In the developing countries, postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death and affects approximately 1% of pregnant women. In developed countries like ours, maternal mortality is one hundred fold lower but remains the cause of maternal death for about 10 women per 100,000 births. In the last decade, French confidential inquiries show that the number of maternal deaths by postpartum hemorrhage are probably the double of the number in nearby countries, whereas hemorrhage should no longer be the leading cause of maternal death in our countries. Postpartum hemorrhage is defined as the loss of 500 ml or more blood in the 24 hours following delivery (5% of deliveries), but maternal tolerance is really threatened starting from 1,000 ml (1% of the women approximately). "Life-threatening" situations concern approximately one patient in one thousand so that obstetricians are rarely faced with this situation. For maternal morbidity or mortality, the risk factors of postpartum hemorrhage are nearly the same: maternal age, multiple pregnancies, uterine scars, abruptio placentae, cesarean section, poor social condition and absence of prenatal care constitute the main risk factors of postpartum hemorrhage. Maternal age must be kept in mind because it is the most related to mortality by hemorrhage, even if prevention is difficult. However, progress in delivery care which are applied to all the patients could make it possible to limit the harmful effects of this risk factor. A recent study showed that organizational factors also part of the factors of risk of maternal morbidity/mortality and could be studied for intervention.