One of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2000 is to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. If this is to be achieved, maternal deaths related to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) must be significantly reduced. In support of this, health workers in developing countries need to have access to appropriate medications and to be trained in relevant procedures. But beyond this, countries need evidence-based guidelines on the safety, quality, and usefulness of the various interventions. These will provide the foundation for the strategic policy and programme development needed to ensure realistic and sustainable implementation of appropriate interventions. PPH is generally defined as blood loss greater than or equal to 500 ml within 24 hours after birth, while severe PPH is blood loss greater than or equal to 1000 ml within 24 hours. PPH is the most common cause of maternal death worldwide. Most cases of morbidity and mortality due to PPH occur in the first 24 hours following delivery and these are regarded as primary PPH whereas any abnormal or excessive bleeding from the birth canal occurring between 24 hours and 12 weeks postnatally is regarded as secondary PPH. PPH may result from failure of the uterus to contract adequately (atony), genital tract trauma (i.e. vaginal or cervical lacerations), uterine rupture, retained placental tissue, or maternal bleeding disorders. Uterine atony is the most common cause and consequently the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. In practice, blood loss after delivery is seldom measured and it is not clear whether measuring blood loss improves the care and outcome for the women. In addition, some women may require interventions to manage PPH with less blood loss than others if they are anaemic. Risk factors for PPH include grand multiparity and multiple gestation. However, PPH may occur in women without identifiable clinical or historical risk factors. It is therefore recommended that active management of the third stage of labour be offered to all women during childbirth, whenever a skilled provider is assisting with the delivery (1).

Active management should include:

(i) administration of a uterotonic soon after the birth of the baby; (ii) clamping of the cord following the observation of uterine contraction (at around 3 minutes); and (iii) delivery of the placenta by controlled cord traction, followed by uterine massage. Even with these efforts to prevent PPH, some women will still require treatment for excessive bleeding. Multiple interventions (medical, mechanical, invasive non-surgical and surgical procedures), requiring different levels of skill and technical expertise, may be attempted to control bleeding. For the purposes of these guidelines, it is assumed that the patient with PPH is being treated by a health-care worker in a medical facility. Efforts in the community to prevent and treat PPH are not covered here.