Doctors have denounced the "unnecessary" death of dozens of mothers caused by poor care during pregnancy and childbirth.
They want urgent action on the "worrying" number of women who die from conditions that could have been seen.
An increase in high-risk pregnancies, including those of older mothers and overweight, it means that women may experience a complex mix of health problems.
General practitioners and hospital doctors should be on guard for preventable or treatable causes, said a group of leading doctors led by Professor Catherine Nelson-Piercy, of Kings College London.
They want more obstetricians and better training for GPs.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, said that while the total number of deaths has decreased since the 1950s, there was a "worrying trend" of an increase in the number of deaths from conditions not directly caused by pregnancy.
The main cause of maternal death is heart disease, while thesecond is neurological disease.
Most of these deaths are associated with poor quality care andone third of cases, greater care is classified as poor, wheredifferent care might have prevented the death of the mother. "
These require urgent Attention failings, "the doctors INSIST.
In March, the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries Reported That 261 women died in the UK or Indirectly Directly related to pregnancy of Conditions for the three years from 2006 to 2008.
Of Those, 107 Were 'direct deaths' from Being pregnant Conditions linked with, while 154 died of indirect damage, Including Infections and Underlying health problems.
Some are dying from treatable Conditions Such as epilepsy, diabetes and asthma, and a failure to diagnose Properly These women, Symptoms and treat Investigate Them Their Amounts to substandard care, the doctors wrote.
They added: "Obstetricians and midwives alone reduce maternal deaths Can not indirect - They Need support from physicians and general practitioners.
'But Many doctors are Unfamiliar With The interaction between pregnancy and medical disease, the safety of Radiological Investigations in pregnancy, and the Risk-benefit ratio for the use of Different drugs in pregnancy. "
Dr David Williams of the Institute for Women's Health at University College Hospital London, said: 'Many women are now delaying pregnancy Until They are older, and as we get older we Become more overweight. As a Consequence of That There's more diabetes and hypertension in pregnancy and High Risk Pregnancies These are.
'There is Also Increasing numbers of women Who are HAVING IVF Treatment and Some Of These women are over 40, 45, Even 50. "