Maternal mortality in southern Israel.

Between 1969 and 1991 there were 166,410 births in Southern Israel with 13 maternal deaths (7.8/100,000). In the Jewish population there were 119,130 deliveries with 7 maternal deaths (5.9/100,000), and the Bedouins had 47,280 deliveries with 6 maternal deaths (12.7/100,000). Prenatal care was an important preventive factor. 7 maternal deaths occurred among 151,088 women who had received prenatal care (4.6/100,000), whereas 6 such deaths occurred among 15,322 without prenatal care (39.1/100,000) (P value 0.0005). Ten of the 13 women who died were over 24 years old. Eight of the 13 patients were multiparous. Live births occurred in 6 patients and stillbirths in 5 patients. Hemorrhage, preeclampsia-eclampsia and pulmonary embolism were the leading causes of maternal death.