Analysis of maternal and abortion-related mortality in Mexico over the last two decades, 1990–2008

To document the relative contribution of abortion-related deaths to overall maternal deaths in Mexico, official mortality data were analyzed according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. During 1990–2008, among 24 805 maternal deaths, 1786 (7.2%) were abortion related. Of these, 13.2% occurred in adolescents and 65% in uninsured women; 60% were probably associated with unsafely induced procedures. The study calculated the number of abortion-related deaths per 100 000 abortion-related hospitalizations, expressed as a modified abortion case-fatality rate. During 2000–2008, this rate was 48 at the national level, with wide variations among states: from 140 deaths in Guerrero to 8 in Baja California Sur per 100 000 abortion hospitalizations. Unsafe abortion continues to represent a significant proportion of all maternal deaths in Mexico.