Integrating Family Planning and Maternity Services Reduces Global Maternal Mortality
A recent study published in The Lancet Global Health offers compelling evidence that combining high-quality maternity services with effective family planning has significantly decreased maternal deaths worldwide over the last two decades.
Study Overview
The academic paper titled “Effect of maternity care improvement, fertility decline, and contraceptive use on global maternal mortality reduction between 2000–2023: results from a decomposition analysis” re-examined data from 195 countries and territories.
Researchers analyzed how advances in maternity care and broadened access to family planning contributed separately and together to the decline in maternal mortality.
Key Findings
- Global maternal mortality dropped by 41% between 2000 and 2023.
- Improvements in maternity care accounted for 61.2% of this reduction.
- Fertility decline contributed 38.8% to the overall decrease.
- Expanded use of contraceptives alone prevented an estimated 77,400 maternal deaths in 2023.
"The global decline in maternal deaths has been driven by improvements in both family planning and maternity care."
Implications for Global Health
The results emphasize how integrating reproductive health services with strong maternity care systems can save lives. Strengthened access to contraception and skilled clinical support continues to be fundamental to sustainable maternal health progress.
Author’s summary: Combined investment in family planning and quality maternity care has cut global maternal mortality by over 40%, demonstrating that synergy between prevention and treatment saves lives worldwide.