Every two minutes, a woman dies from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth

A report by the World Health Organization and other United Nations organizations said that in 2020, regarding every two minutes, a woman died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The report, which was published today, Thursday (February 23, 2023), said that in 2020, “an estimated 287,000 women worldwide died due to motherhood, which equates to regarding 800 maternal deaths every day, and regarding one every two minutes.”

This figure represents an improvement over an estimated 446,000 maternal deaths 20 years ago, according to the report. But while the death rate among women who were pregnant or in childbirth decreased between 2000 and 2015, it has remained essentially constant since then, and has even increased in some areas.

The World Health Organization said the situation in poorer regions and conflict-ridden countries was particularly dire. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for regarding 70% of global maternal deaths in 2020, followed by Central and Southern Asia, which accounted for nearly 17%.

Preventable causes that can lead to death include severe bleeding, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion, or diseases such as HIV (AIDS) and malaria. “Almost all deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and almost all deaths are preventable,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said in the introduction to the report. One of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is to reduce maternal mortality from 339 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to less than 70 by 2030. In 2020, the number reached 223.

The report said increasing quality maternal health care coverage and improving women’s ability to make their own decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health Among the steps to be taken to reach this goal.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Your destiny is in your hands!

Smoking alone is one of the most important causes of cancer. Cigarette smoke not only causes lung cancer, but also leads to many other types of tumors. Smoking remains the most common cause of cancer.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Obesity increases the risk of cancer

Obesity is the second most common cancer-causing factor. Excess insulin levels increase the risk of almost all types of cancer, especially when it comes to kidney, gallbladder, and esophageal cancer. Obese women produce increased amounts of female hormones in their adipose tissue, and thus have an increased risk of uterine or breast cancer.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Don’t become a prisoner of the “couch”.

Lack of movement and walking raise the risk of cancer as well. Long-term studies indicate that exercise can prevent the malignant disease. Sports in general reduces insulin levels in the body, which prevents gaining more weight. Don’t be on the couch all the time, exercise and move.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

alcoholic beverages

Alcohol generally stimulates cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus. And if it is taken a lot with smoking, the risk here rises to greater rates of up to a hundred times! Drinking just one glass of wine a day may be less harmful to the body, as it supports the cardiovascular system.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Excessive consumption of red meat!

Red meat can cause bowel cancer. Although the actual cause of this has not been determined, studies show a significant relationship between red meat consumption and bowel cancer. Beef is particularly dangerous, but even pork can cause cancer. Meat consumption increases the risk of cancer by one and a half times. As for eating fish, it prevents cancer.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

No more grills?

Some carcinogens are released when meat is grilled, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It has been proven in animal experiments that these chemical compounds can cause tumors. However, long-term studies in humans have not yet proven this conclusively. It may be the amount of meat consumed that causes cancer, not the way it is cooked.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Avoid fast food

A good diet consisting of vegetables, fruits and dietary fiber can prevent cancer. However, in studies conducted over the years, researchers have found that eating a healthy diet has less of an effect on preventing cancer than previously assumed. It only reduces the risk of cancer by no more than 10 percent.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Exposure to the sun a lot

The sun’s ultraviolet rays can penetrate and alter the human genome. While sunscreens protect the skin, much of that radiation is absorbed by the skin.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Modern medicine may cause cancer!

X-rays also damage the genome. If the matter is limited to a regular radiograph, then the exposure to it is a little, but the situation is different when exposed to a CT scan. This type of radiation should only be subjected to when necessary. As for magnetic resonance imaging, it is harmless.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Bacterial infection stimulates cancer

Human papillomaviruses can cause cervical cancer in women. Infection with hepatitis B and C can also cause liver cells to deteriorate and lead to cancer. But there are many vaccines that can be obtained to avoid these cancer-causing agents, in addition to antibiotics that fight these bacteria.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Contraceptive pills

Pregnancy pills may be one of the confusing factors when it comes to its risk, although it increases the risk of breast cancer, but at the same time, it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. But in the end, birth control pills do more good than harm, at least with regard to the risk of cancer.

This is how you protect yourself from the risk of cancer

Fate strike!

Although all precautions are taken to avoid cancer, humans are not immune from it. Half of all cancer cases are caused by faulty genes or simply by aging. As for brain cancer, it is likely to come from heredity. In the end, the injury becomes like a stroke of fate! Brigitte Osterath/S.A