![]() ![]() One study found the risk to be five times greater and another two times greater. The risk of stillbirth is higher in women with a prior unexplained stillbirth. Only prior stillbirth or pregnancy loss from preterm birth or fetal-growth restriction demonstrated predictive value. The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network study found stillbirth risk factors known at the start of pregnancy accounted for only a small fraction of stillbirth risk. Half of the world's stillbirths are linked to intrapartum complications most of these deaths could likely be averted with increased access to skilled healthcare. Unexplained stillbirth is the most commonly reported cause, reported in 76% of cases worldwide. Global data on causes of stillbirth are limited due to difficulty in assigning causation. This activity reviews the healthcare team's role in evaluating, managing, and improving care for patients diagnosed with stillbirth. This knowledge can help those impacted deal with grief and, more importantly, prepare to reduce stillbirth risk in subsequent pregnancies. We need to learn more about why stillbirths occur. This is a catastrophic event with lasting consequences on all of society. Stillbirth has many causes: intrapartum complications, hypertension, diabetes, infection, congenital and genetic abnormalities, placental dysfunction, and pregnancy continuing beyond forty weeks. An estimated 98% of global stillbirths occur in low and middle-income countries. This has been achieved already in many industrialized countries however, countries in Asia and Africa still have much higher stillbirth rates attributed mainly to lack of access to healthcare providers. ![]() The initial goal was to reduce the stillbirth rate to less than 15/1000. The Lancet published "The Ending Preventable Stillbirths Series Study Group," which has helped promote global public health efforts. Globally, unexplained stillbirth is reported in 76% of cases. There is currently a limited understanding of the pathophysiology responsible for fetal demise. Intrauterine fetal demise is the 5th leading cause of death worldwide. Globally, less than 5 percent of stillbirths are recorded. For this publication, intrauterine fetal demise and stillbirth are considered interchangeable.Ĭomparison of stillbirth rates among and within countries is limited due to the non-uniformity of the definition of stillbirth and incomplete collection of stillbirth data. An attempt is now underway to use stillbirth in all scientific publications. "Stillbirth" has replaced "intrauterine fetal demise" as the terminology of choice based on the opinions of parent groups. In the United States, termination of pregnancy for fetal anomalies and labor induction for pre-viable premature rupture of membranes are reported as terminations of pregnancy and not as stillbirths. Standardization of the definition of stillbirth is a current priority. Currently, the most recognized definition of stillbirth is a fetal death that occurs at or greater than 20 weeks gestation or at a birth weight greater than or equal to 350 grams. Stillbirth is a fetal death after a defined gestational age and/or fetal weight, both of which have historically lacked uniformity. The United States Center for Health Statistics defines a fetal death as the delivery of a fetus showing no sign of life, as indicated by absent breathing, heartbeats, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movements of voluntary muscles, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy.
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