Mexico: maternal deaths, fertility patterns, and social cost--an anthropological study.

The study of life histories of women who died from a maternal causes identified a lack of value attached to the care of the pregnant woman as one of the main constraints to the prevention of maternal mortality. The immediate family members and women who died had considered pregnancy as a "natural" event. Maternal complications were not perceived as meriting appropriate medical attention. This negative scenario combined with rivalry between providers of traditional and modern medical care, led to a passivity which ultimately prevented appropriate maternal care. These social and cultural values, which reinforce the lack of attention given to pregnant women call for educational efforts on the part of community leaders and health service providers to change the perceptions of pregnancy and childbirth as a completely "natural" event which needs little health care attention. The conflict between traditional birth attendants and the medical profession needs to be addressed by the respective authorities and educational solutions must be identified to rectify the existing lack of knowledge amongst TBA's. The question of developing a frame-work for collaboration between the traditional and the modern sector of health care will need to be addressed in the future.