Diagnostic methods to determine microbiology of postpartum endometritis in South Asia: laboratory methods protocol used in the Postpartum Sepsis Study: a prospective cohort study

Background The South Asian region has the second highest risk of maternal death in the world. To prevent maternal deaths due to sepsis and to decrease the maternal mortality ratio as per the World Health Organization Millenium Development Goals, a better understanding of the etiology of endometritis and related sepsis is required. We describe microbiological laboratory methods used in the maternal Postpartum Sepsis Study, which was conducted in Bangladesh and Pakistan, two populous countries in South Asia.