Purpose: To describe adolescent maternal mortality and analyze its avoidability.
Methods: An audit approach was used to clarify the presence of avoidable factors in 239 maternal deaths, of which 22% were among adolescents.
Results: The main causes of adolescent death were malaria, pregnancy-induced hypertension, puerperal sepsis, and septic abortion. The audit classified as avoidable 75% of all maternal deaths.
Conclusion: Adequate strategies addressing the special needs of adolescents are required to prevent currently high levels of maternal mortality in this age group.