Pregnancy-related maternal deaths.

Pregnancy is a normal biologic process, but because of a variety of physiologic factors, it increases a woman's risk for death. Maternal deaths in pregnancy may be due to conditions unique to pregnancy, conditions associated with pregnancy, or conditions unrelated to but exacerbated by pregnancy. Death may occur during any trimester, during labor/birth, or postpartum. In this report, we present 45 cases of pregnancy-related maternal deaths that were investigated and autopsied at the Dallas County Medical Examiners office between 1977 and 1999, and we review the topic of pregnancy-related maternal death.