but in different countries and to varying extents they also have inherent risks maternal mortality the death of a woman during pregnancy childbirth or in the weeks after delivery is an important indicator of a woman s health and status the united nations set a mdg target of reducing maternal mortality ratios mmr by threequarters between and and achieving universal access to reproductive health by it shows clearly the differences between rich and poor rural and urban with the vast majority of deaths occurring in resourcepoor settings and most being preventable who a