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Chapter 7 - The Pregnant Patient

from Section 2 - Mother and Child Health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

By
Camilla Buchanan ,
Peter Olute Okoth  and
Amha Achamyelew Yigzaw
Edited by
David Mabey ,
Martin W. Weber ,
Moffat Nyirenda ,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu ,
Jackson Orem ,
Laura Benjamin ,
Michael Marks  and
Nicholas A. Feasey
David Mabey
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber
Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem
Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey
Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
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Summary

In Africa motherhood is highly esteemed. Between 2015–2020 the total fertility rate for women in sub-Saharan Africa was 4.6 births per woman. This is more than twice the level of any other world region. Because the age distribution of the African population is so young, 44% of the female population is in the childbearing age range (Fig. 7.1). The combination of these two factors means that every health practitioner in Africa will see a large number of patients who are pregnant or recently postpartum.

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Chapter
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Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 87 - 97
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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