The UK Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths, published triennially, are over 50 years old. Its forebears are even older; enquiries into maternal deaths began early in the 19th century in Scotland. In the 20th century the numbers of women dying from childbirth has steadily declined, influenced by many factors, including improved public health and maternity care, smaller family size, blood transfusions, and antibiotics, to name but a few. The introduction of the Abortion Act in 1967 was followed by a marked reduction of deaths in pregnancy from the consequences of illegal abortion. The rate and causes of maternal death have always been influenced by changes in reproductive epidemiology and technology, and continue to be so. Maternal deaths in pregnancy and in the 6 weeks following delivery are required to be reported to the Coroner, if directly related to childbirth. However, there are other causes of maternal death due to conditions exacerbated by pregnancy: for example, diabetes, cardiac disease, epilepsy. These are referred to as indirect deaths. Women who die from conditions unrelated to pregnancy or childbirth are counted and described as coincidental deaths. Over the years as the direct causes of maternal death have fallen, the indirect causes of maternal death have achieved more prominence and case ascertainment has improved. Improvements in medical care and in particular intensive care have resulted in some women developing their fatal condition within 6 weeks of childbirth, only to die beyond it. For this reason, the UK Enquiry extended their period of surveillance beyond 6 weeks to include late maternal deaths, both a small number of late direct deaths and a larger number of late indirect deaths. Suicide in pregnancy and following delivery has always been included in the Enquiries. However, prior to 1994 the cases were not separately analysed and were included in the group of late Coincidental Deaths (i.e. not thought to be related to pregnancy or childbirth). The 1994–1996 Enquiry, under the Directorship and Editorship of Dr Gwyneth Lewis and Professor James O’Drife, heralded a change in presentation of the Enquiry.
Trends in maternal deaths from epilepsy in the United Kingdom: a 30-year retrospective review