Beyond pregnancy – the neglected burden of mortality in young women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE To describe proportionate mortality and causes of death unrelated to pregnancy. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Rural northwest Bangladesh. POPULATION A cohort of 133,617 married women of reproductive age. METHODS Verbal autopsies were conducted for women who died whilst under surveillance in the cohort trial. Physician-assigned causes of death based on verbal autopsies were used to categorise deaths. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The proportion of deaths due to non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, injury or pregnancy. RESULTS Of the 1107 deaths occurring among women between 2001 and 2007, 48% were attributed to non-communicable diseases, 22% to pregnancy, 17% to infections, 9% to injury and 4% to other causes. CONCLUSIONS Although focus on pregnancy-related mortality remains important, more attention is warranted on non-communicable diseases among women of reproductive age.