Every 7 minutes, a woman dies from postpartum hemorrhage.

• The Problem

Postpartum Hemorrhage

Causes and Risk Factors

PPH is caused by one or a combination of the 4 Ts:

Tone – Uterine atony (failure of the uterus to contract after birth), the primary cause.
Tissue – Retained placental fragments that prevent proper contraction.
Trauma – Lacerations, uterine rupture, or instrumental delivery injuries.
Thrombin – Blood clotting disorders that prevent coagulation.

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is defined as a cumulative blood loss of 500 mL or more after childbirth. It is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide and primarily occurs within the first 24 hours after delivery.

Detection Methods

Currently, blood loss after childbirth is visually estimated, a method known to be highly inaccurate and tending to underestimate actual blood loss. Nonetheless, some existing methods for blood loss quantification include:


Calibrated Drape Collectors – Effective but uncomfortable, and mainly used in operating rooms.
Weighing Absorbent Pads – Time-consuming and impractical for routine postpartum care.


The lack of an accurate, comfortable, and widely accessible method means that PPH is often detected too late, leading to severe complications and unnecessary interventions.

Management of PPH

If PPH is detected early, it can often be controlled with uterotonics (oxytocin, misoprostol, carbetocin…)—medications that help the uterus contract and reduce bleeding.


If blood loss continues or exceeds critical levels, more invasive and costly treatments are required, such as the intrauterine balloon tamponade, blood transfusions or even surgical interventions (uterine artery embolization, hysterectomy, exploratory laparotomy…).


These advanced treatments increase healthcare costs and may result in long-term complications, including infertility.

• The Testimonials

What midwives say about PPH

•

76%

Midwives who do not know the PPH incidence in their hospital.

83%

•

Midwives believe they need more precise methods to quantify and detect PPH.

A late-detected PPH requires invasive and expensive treatments.
When detected early, PPH can be stopped with uterotonic drugs.

A survey conducted with midwives across 15+ locations in Europe and Latin America revealed a widespread reliance on outdated PPH detection methods. The data highlights urgent gaps in clinical accuracy and awareness that directly impact maternal treatment and outcomes.

89%

•

Midwives who rely on visual estimation to detect PPH .

75%

•

Midwives who believe visual estimation is NOT an effective method.

Maternal Health Disparities Worldwide

Access to PPH treatment varies greatly between countries, leading to significant inequalities in maternal survival rates.

  • High-income countries have access to medications, blood transfusions, and surgical interventions, reducing mortality rates.

  • Low-resource countries often lack these life-saving treatments, making PPH the leading cause of maternal death.

  • In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, maternal mortality rates are over 50 times higher than in developed nations due to limited access to trained healthcare providers, uterotonics, and blood banks.

A simple, accessible, and effective solution to measure blood loss could help reduce these disparities and save thousands of lives each year.