الفهرس 
Anatomy of the female reproductive systemOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Maternal deaths due to natural causes i.e. direct or indirect obstetrical causes are decreasing nowadays, as a result of rapid progress in the methods of diagnosis and treatment of the various medical conditions affecting women during pregnancy, delivery and puerperium. As in this study there were only ’16’ cases died due to natural causes, represented a small percentage of the total ’135’ studied cases (about 11.5%).
Maternal death due to unnatural (medicolegal) causes i.e. deaths due to violence (mainly the coincidental = fortuitous or pregnancy-associated), sudden and unexpected deaths and deaths due to medical malpractice and negligence - especially violence and, in particular, those due to trauma- are increasing and forming the main causes of the maternal deaths. This was proven in the present study, as from 135 studied cases, there were ’118’ cases died due to unnatural (medicolegal) causes, represented about 87.5% of the total maternal deaths, from which there were ’92’ cases of violent maternal deaths, represented about 78.5% of the unnatural maternal deaths.
Trauma, whatever its type (blunt and penetrating trauma, cut throat, firearm injury, strangulation, fall from height and motor vehicle accidents) was the leading cause of the maternal deaths, as according to this study, there were 42 traumatic maternal deaths, represented about 31% of the total ’135’ studied cases and about 36% of the unnatural (medicolegal) maternal deaths.
Abortion represented one of the important causes of maternal deaths, especially in the developing countries, as it is illicit (illegal) except for very limited reasons. There were ’15’ cases died due to abortion, accounted for about 11.0% of the total ’135’ studied cases, and about 15.5% of the violent maternal deaths.
Maternal death due to poisoning can not be ignored; as there were ’25’ cases = 18.5% of the total 135 studied cases, died due to different toxicological agents- especially the organophosphorus compounds and the other insecticides- which are so common agents of toxicity in the developing countries.
Medical malpractice represented an important cause of the maternal deaths, especially with the development of the medical care standards and the patient expectations, there were ’14’ cases claimed to be medical malpractice (about 10.3% of the studied ’135’ cases).
Sudden and unexpected maternal deaths are important causes of the medicolegal maternal deaths, as there were 12 cases of them, represented about 10% of ’135’ studied cases. The most common cause of sudden and unexpected maternal deaths was ruptured ectopic pregnancy.