• M E Van Wolfswinkel, J J Zwart, J M Schutte, J J Duvekot, M Pel, and J Van Roosmalen.
• Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
• BJOG. 2009 Jul 1;116(8):1103-8; discussion 1108-10.

ObjectiveTo determine the risk of maternal mortality and serious maternal morbidity because of major obstetric haemorrhage in Jehovah's witnesses in The Netherlands.DesignA retrospective study of case notes.SettingAll tertiary care centres, general teaching hospitals and other general hospitals in The Netherlands.SampleAll cases of maternal mortality in The Netherlands between 1983 and 2006 and all cases of serious maternal morbidity in The Netherlands between 2004 and 2006.MethodsStudy of case notes using two different nationwide enquiries over two different time periods.Main Outcome MeasuresMaternal mortality ratio (MMR) and risk of serious maternal mortality.ResultsThe MMR for Jehovah's witnesses was 68 per 100,000 live births. We found a risk of 14 per 1000 for Jehovah's witnesses to experience serious maternal morbidity because of obstetric haemorrhage while the risk for the total pregnant population was 4.5 per 1000.ConclusionsWomen who are Jehovah's witnesses are at a six times increased risk for maternal death, at a 130 times increased risk for maternal death because of major obstetric haemorrhage and at a 3.1 times increased risk for serious maternal morbidity because of obstetric haemorrhage, compared to the general Dutch population.

23 keywords...

hide…