PIP: A review of maternal mortality at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu between January 1976 and December 1985 has been made. Deaths up to 6 weeks of puerperium from direct, indirect, and incidental causes were included but abortions were excluded. There were 47,361 deliveries and 127 maternal deaths giving a maternal mortality rate of 2.7/1000. There has been a downward trend in the mortality rate from 5.46 in 1976 to 1.99 in 1985. Comparing mortality rates according to booking status, it was observed that mortality rates were 48 times higher in unbooked patients. It was observed that overall that deaths increased with increasing maternal age except in the 26-30 age group. Whereas only 0.16% of women aged 26-30 died, 2% of women 40 died. The highest mortality rates are in primigravida and grand multipara. The main causes of death were obstructed labor plus ruptured uterus (35%), obstetric hemorrhage (25.98%), eclampsial severe/preeclampsia (11%), and sepsis (10.24%). Other causes of death include anesthetic, amniotic fluid embolism, jaundice in pregnancy, congestive cardiac failure, pulmonary embolism, and severe anemia. Factors influencing this high mortality include antenatal care, maternal age, and parity. The majority of these deaths are avoidable through adequate blood transfusions, attention to details and better case management, improved medical services, recognition of severe problems by patients and family, and immediate medical care. Futhermore, faults may lie either with the patient, the hospital, the medical team, the government or the system or a combination of these factors. The ways to reduce the high maternal mortality are improved standard of living, raising the literacy level, improved structural facilities and social amenities, better communication and transportation, increased number of hospitals, blood transfusion services, better case management, and a high level of utilization of available facilities.