ARTH is conducting a study on maternal morbidity with the following objectives:

1. To estimate the burden of maternal morbidity in a rural community of north India
2. To compare sequelae (physical, social, economic and psychological) among women with a normal delivery and those having severe and less severe complications occurring around the time of delivery
3. To compare sequelae among women having a surviving perinate with those perinatal deaths
4. To document care seeking patterns for selected maternal complications
5. To review the current options for interventions at primary care level for key morbidities

The study consists of the following components:

1. A prospective cohort study examining short term consequences of pregnancy related morbidity.
2. A qualitative study examining social and economic consequences of chronic obstetric morbidity (done in 2007-08): As part of this, freelisting exercise, 81 indepth case interviews with recently delivered women , 17 key informant interviews and 24 case studies of morbidities have been completed and results have been analyzed.
3. Process documentation of interventions at primary care level to address key morbidities