Poverty in UK could increase death rates during or after pregnancy, warns WHO

Britain is falling behind European countries for mortality among mothers, and suicide is the leading cause of postpartum death

• Postpartum psychosis: new mothers speak out over need for support

The cost of living crisis could exacerbate Britain's already woeful rates of women dying during and after pregnancy, the World Health Organization has warned, with health inequalities becoming starker as more expectant mothers are plunged into poverty.

The UK is falling behind most comparable European countries, as 9.6 mothers die within six weeks of childbirth for every 100,000 babies, with suicide becoming the leading cause of death.