{"id":281,"date":"2025-10-06T04:48:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T04:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/?p=281"},"modified":"2025-10-06T04:48:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T04:48:44","slug":"%f0%9f%8c%8d-new-global-health-guidelines-aim-to-end-deaths-from-postpartum-haemorrhage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/?p=281","title":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udf0d New Global Health Guidelines Aim to End Deaths from Postpartum Haemorrhage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>A major step forward in protecting mothers and saving lives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every year, millions of women around the world face one of the most dangerous childbirth complications \u2014 <strong>postpartum haemorrhage (PPH)<\/strong>, or severe bleeding after giving birth. This condition claims nearly <strong>45,000 lives annually<\/strong>, making it the <strong>leading cause of maternal death<\/strong> worldwide. But new international guidelines released on <strong>October 5, 2025<\/strong>, by the <strong>World Health Organization (WHO)<\/strong>, the <strong>International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO)<\/strong>, and the <strong>International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)<\/strong> could mark a turning point in how the world prevents and responds to this crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udea8 A Call for Faster Action and Smarter Prevention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The new guidelines, launched during the <strong>2025 FIGO World Congress<\/strong> in Cape Town, introduce a <strong>transformational approach<\/strong> to PPH management \u2014 focusing on <strong>early detection, rapid treatment, and effective prevention<\/strong>.<br>Traditionally, doctors diagnosed PPH when a woman lost <strong>500 mL of blood or more<\/strong> after childbirth. However, the new recommendations urge healthcare workers to <strong>act earlier<\/strong> \u2014 at <strong>300 mL of blood loss<\/strong> or whenever abnormal vital signs are observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure accurate diagnosis, WHO now recommends the use of <strong>calibrated drapes<\/strong>, simple tools that collect and measure blood loss directly after delivery. This change enables faster, evidence-based decision-making that can save lives in minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc8a The MOTIVE Bundle: A Life-Saving Protocol<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once PPH is diagnosed, health workers are urged to immediately perform the <strong>MOTIVE bundle of actions<\/strong>, a structured approach proven to stop bleeding and stabilize patients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>M<\/strong>assage the uterus to stimulate contractions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>O<\/strong>xytocic drugs to help the uterus contract<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>T<\/strong>ranexamic acid (TXA) to reduce bleeding<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>I<\/strong>ntravenous fluids to replace lost blood volume<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>V<\/strong>aginal and genital examination for tears or retained tissue<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>E<\/strong>scalation of care if bleeding continues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In cases where bleeding persists, <strong>surgery or blood transfusion<\/strong> may be necessary to stabilize the mother until further treatment is available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf3f Preventing Postpartum Haemorrhage Before It Starts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Prevention remains key. The guidelines emphasize treating <strong>anaemia<\/strong> during pregnancy \u2014 a major risk factor for PPH \u2014 through <strong>daily iron and folate supplements<\/strong> or <strong>intravenous iron<\/strong> when rapid correction is needed.<br>They also discourage unnecessary <strong>episiotomies<\/strong> (cuts during childbirth) and instead promote safer alternatives like <strong>perineal massage in late pregnancy<\/strong> to reduce trauma and bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the final stage of labour, health providers are advised to administer a <strong>quality uterotonic<\/strong>, preferably <strong>oxytocin<\/strong> or <strong>heat-stable carbetocin<\/strong>, to help the uterus contract. In settings where refrigeration is limited, <strong>misoprostol<\/strong> may be used as a reliable alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udde1 Empowering Midwives and Health Systems<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Midwives are at the heart of this life-saving effort. Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, ICM\u2019s Chief Midwife, emphasized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cTo end preventable deaths from PPH, we need more than evidence and protocols \u2014 we need governments and health systems to act now and invest in maternal care.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The guidelines come with <strong>training modules, national guides, and simulation-based learning tools<\/strong>, designed to help frontline workers in all countries adopt these changes quickly and effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf0e A Global Commitment to Saving Mothers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The publication is part of the <strong>Global Roadmap to Combat Postpartum Haemorrhage (2023\u20132030)<\/strong> \u2014 a global effort to make maternal death from PPH a tragedy of the past.<br>With better <strong>readiness, recognition, and response<\/strong>, experts believe that thousands of lives can be saved every year \u2014 especially in <strong>low-resource settings<\/strong>, where most maternal deaths occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As WHO\u2019s Dr. Jeremy Farrar put it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cPostpartum haemorrhage is not always predictable, but deaths are preventable with the right care.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udd17 <strong>Sources:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\">World Health Organization (WHO) \u2013 News Release, October 5, 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(25)01639-3\">The Lancet Study: Prognostic Accuracy of Clinical Markers of Postpartum Bleeding (2025)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a>FIGO World Congress 2025 \u2013 Cape Town, South Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A major step forward in protecting mothers and saving lives Every year, millions of women around the world face one of the most dangerous childbirth complications \u2014 postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), or severe bleeding after giving birth. This condition claims nearly 45,000 lives annually, making it the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. But new international [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[57],"class_list":["post-281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-medical-news","tag-postpartum-haemorrhage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282,"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281\/revisions\/282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yarima.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}