Maternal deaths in the UK

Women in the UK are more likely to die in childbirth than women in Albania, Slovakia and Poland, says The Guardian. Despite improvements in healthcare, around eight women die for every 100,000 births in this country - roughly the same number as recorded 20 years ago, and more than twice as many as in Italy, the country that came top of the league table published in The Lancet. The reasons for the UK's relatively high rate of maternal death are thought to include rising levels of obesity and the trend for women to have children at a later age, both of which can cause complications in childbirth. The increasing number of immigrant mothers, some of whom may struggle to communicate with hospital staff, was also cited as a possible contributory factor.