Stillbirth in First Pregnancy Increases Risk on Second Pregnancy as Well

A new study led by an Indian-British scientist shows that women who have experienced a stillbirth have up to a four-fold increased risk of stillbirth in a second pregnancy compared to those who had an initial live birth.

Stillbirth is still a major public health concern despite rates falling across high income countries. Stillbirth refers to fetal death at more than 20 weeks’ gestation or a birth weight of at least 400g.

Significantly Increased Risk of Stillbirth in Males Revealed in Study
Male babies are more likely to be stillborn than female babies, found in a large-scale study led by the University of Exeter.

"Stillbirth is one of the most common adverse obstetric outcomes and a traumatic experience for parents," explained India-born Sohinee Bhattacharya from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. "Couples who have experienced a stillbirth need to understand why it happened and want to know the risk for future pregnancies," he noted.

They undertook systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the link between stillbirth in an initial pregnancy and risk of stillbirth in a subsequent pregnancy.

The team analyzed 13 cohort and three case-control studies from high-income countries. Data was collected for 3,412,079 women out of which 3,387,538 (99.3%) had a previous live birth and 24,541 (0.7%) had a stillbirth in an initial pregnancy.

Stillbirth Gap Closing Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Women in Australia
The gap in stillbirth rates between indigenous and non-indigenous women is closing in Queensland, Australia.

Stillbirths occurred in the subsequent pregnancy for 14,283 women: 606 of 24,541 (2.5%) in women with a history of stillbirth and 13,677 of 3,387,538 (0.4%) in women with no history.

Women who had a stillbirth in an initial pregnancy had a nearly fivefold increased risk of stillbirth in a second pregnancy. This risk is higher than stillbirth linked with medical conditions such as diabetes or hypertension.

Up to Half of Recorded Stillbirths in Worst Hit Areas Due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Up to half of all recorded stillbirths in the worse hit areas may have been caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, suggests research published online.

"Pregnancies should be closely monitored, and antenatal interventions and care be offered at the first sign of increased risk of distress or danger," the authors said.

The study appeared in The BMJ.

Severely Restricted and Excessive Fetal Growth, Both Reasons Could Cause Stillbirth
Along with several other factors, both severely restricted and excessive fetal growth may be associated with stillbirth, reveals a study by US researchers.

Source-IANS