– Portugal.
Between 2014 and 2017, almost 60% of maternal deaths occurred in women over 35 years of age, according to the Directorate-General for Health.
The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) warned on Monday that maternal deaths could increase in Portugal due to the characteristics of the pregnant and parturient population and defended the need for epidemiological surveys that “analyze in detail each death.”
The rate of maternal mortality has risen in 2017 to levels that have not been observed since 1991, according to figures released on Sunday by the Jornal de Notícias, which reveal that only nine women died during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum.
In a statement released today, the DGS says it is “monitoring closely the evolution of the situation, reinforcing the need for epidemiological surveys that analyze each death in detail.”
It also announced that it will strengthen the monitoring and surveillance of maternal mortality.
This issue is of the utmost importance for the DGS and the health services in general, ” he emphasizes.
In Portugal, the average age of pregnant women has consistently increased, both when considering any pregnancy and only for the first child, she says, stressing that this aspect influences infant mortality and maternal mortality.
