Eliminating maternal mortality in developing countries could extend women's life expectancy in reproductive ages

Maternal death rates represent the single largest health discrepancy between developed and developing populations, with nearly all -- over 99% -- maternal deaths worldwide occurring in developing countries and over half of them in sub-Saharan Africa countries. Eliminating maternal mortality, which is defined as the deaths related to pregnancy, would result in a gain of over a half year (0.6 years) in life expectancy worldwide.