In a field trial in 270 villages in rural Nepal, researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health showed that women had their risk of death from pregnancy lowered by about 40 percent after taking dietary supplements of vitamin A or beta-carotene, compared to women who did not take the supplements. Women suffer a high risk of death during and following pregnancy in rural South Asia, with mortality rates often 50 to 100 times higher than in industrialized countries.
Death usually results from severe bleeding, obstructed labor, infection, and other causes.
Malnutrition, especially vitamin A deficiency, also plays a critical role. A deficiency has focused almost entirely on its effects on fetal and infant health and survival. Little attention has been given to the potential health and survival consequences for the mother. Night blindness, a condition that is attributed to vitamin A deficiency, often occurs in ten percent or more of women during pregnancy. Villages were randomly assigned for women to receive weekly supplements containing recommended dietary amounts of vitamin A or beta-carotene, or a placebo.