Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death and disability among women of reproductive age in developing countries. The maternal mortality ratio represents the risk associated with each pregnancy, i.e. the obstetric risk. It is also a SDG indicator. A maternal death (as cited in International Classification of Disease or ICD-10, [WHO, 1992]) is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, and can stem from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.
(this guidance is based on https://www.measureevaluation.org/prh/rh_indicators/womens-health/sm/maternal-mortality-ratio-mmr)