The attention of health professionals in the developing world has been chiefly centered on infants and young children, with little concern for maternal health, although the high mortality rates for mothers in rural areas and urban slums have been recognized. Indeed, of 500,000 annual maternal deaths estimated by the WHO, over 98% occur in developing countries. Maternal death rates per 100,000 live births in developing countries are of the order of 200–1000 as compared to 10–15 in the USA.