Tackling mental health is the key to reducing deaths among new mothers, according to the findings of a major investigation published today.
The report says maternal deaths continue to reduce in the UK.
In the three years from 2011 to 2013, some 240 women died within 42 days of giving birth and another 334 women died within a year of giving birth.
The MBRRACE-UK report is published by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University.
The researchers say that 11% of the women who died within six weeks of giving birth died from mental health-related causes.
But nearly 25% of deaths between six weeks and a year were related to mental health problems, they say. Some 14% of the women died from suicide.
They identified some 100 women who died from suicide during or after pregnancy between 2009 and 2013.
The report says severe maternal mental illness is uncommon – but can develop very quickly.
They say: "The woman, her family and mainstream mental health services may not recognise this or move fast enough to take action."
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said better integration between primary and secondary care was "urgently" needed to tackle the problem.
President Dr David Richmond said: “Despite the overall decrease in the UK maternal death rate, it is clear that the challenge is now to reduce deaths from indirect causes which have remained static for the last 10 years.
"Greater integration between primary and secondary care is urgently needed to ensure that women with significant medical and psychiatric conditions are assessed before becoming pregnant and referred to specialist care in a timely manner to ensure that right support is provided throughout a woman’s pregnancy and beyond."
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