This document discusses the impact of maternal mental health on achieving MDG 5 of improving maternal health. It notes that integrating efforts between MDG 3 on promoting gender equality and MDG 5 has the greatest impact. While progress has been made in improving maternal and newborn health services, challenges remain such as coverage gaps, fragmentation between goals, and inequities among hard to reach groups. The document emphasizes the need for a holistic approach that considers the impact of maternal stressors like depression, domestic violence, nutrition, and psychosocial factors on health outcomes. Failing to address maternal mental health represents a gap in realizing synergies across implementation areas for improving maternal health.

1. Maternal Mental Health
CORE Group Spring Meeting
Mental Health- The
Silent Epidemic --
That Influences MDG
5- Maternal Health

2. Countdown to 2015
GREATEST IMPACT
Integration and interaction between the MDGs
MDG 3 - Promote gender equality and
empower women
MDG 5 - Improve maternal health

3. Making Progress – MDG5
Gradual progress since 2000--
 Maternal and newborn essential health care
packages along the continuum of care
 Life course approach - synergies for well-being
 Multi-dimensional human development focus (health,
education, gender)
 Strong emphasis on basic needs and economic
growth
 Buy-in by developing countries

4. Making Progress- MDG 5
 Respond to social and cultural norms
 Integrated approach gender equity, human rights
 Reach out to young women- adolescents
 Improve maternal nutrition- 1000 days
 Extending the responsibility – CHW task shifting
 Connecting women’s health to economic growth
 Integrate programs for efficiency, cost, effectiveness
Making maternal health a priority

5. Challenges Remain…
 Coverage gaps remain - pace of decline
needs to be doubled to reach 2015 goals
 Patterns of inequality
remain - poverty,
education, rights,
access, quality of
care

6. Challenges Remain…
• Fragmentation - failure to realize efficiencies,
links/integration between MDG goals
• Lack of a holistic
approach
• Political will varies
by country

7. Challenges Remain…Maternal Health
• Gaps in coverage
• Failure to realize synergies across
implementation areas - education, gender,
poverty
• Lack of clear ownership and leadership
nationally and internationally
• Problem of inequity – on hard to reach groups
(ethnic, geographical)

8. Momentum-Holistic Approach to MDGs
• Core dimensions of well-being-human, social
and environmental development
• Equity of opportunity
• Shared obligation;
ownership

9. Maternal Health-
Consider the Impact of Mental Health
GIVE ATTENTION to the mental, emotional,
psychosocial health of pregnant women and mothers
and its impact on maternal health and the health of
their children
 Depression (pregnancy and post-partum)
 Domestic violence
 Family/social network support

10. New Paradigm for Improving Maternal
Health-- cumulative stressors
Assess impact of maternal cumulative stressors
 Infection ( pro-inflammatory environment)
 Malnutrition, nutrient deficiencies
 Spacing of pregnancies,
 Psychosocial conditions- poverty, education,
domestic violence, social support (family, spouse)
 Environmental conditions (agriculture, livelihood,
social cohesion, seasonal migration)

11. TODAY: Consider Impact of Mental
Health on Maternal Health
Most recent research
Holistic approaches