Did You Know...?
According to the March Of Dimes website, www.marchofdimes.com...:
- When fetal death occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it is called stillbirth
- Stillbirth results in approximately 1 in every 160 pregnancies
- In up to half of all cases, a cause of fetal death cannot be determined
The Most Common Known Causes of Stillbirths Include:
- Placental Problems: Women with placental abruption, or a pregnancy-related form of high blood pressure called preeclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertension, have twice the risk of abruption or stillbirth as unaffected women. Sometimes insufficient oxygen and nutrients can also contribute to a baby’s death.
- Birth Defects: Chromosomal disorders account for 15-20% of all stillborn babies. Sometimes a baby has structural malformations that are not caused by chromosomal abnormalities, but can result from genetic, environmental or unknown causes.
- Growth Restriction: Babies who are small or not growing at an appropriate rate are at risk of death from asphyxia (lack of oxygen) both before and during birth, and from unknown causes.
- Infections: Bacterial infections between 24 and 27 weeks gestation can cause fetal deaths. These infections usually go unnoticed by the mother and may not be diagnosed until they cause serious complications.
- Other infrequent causes of stillbirth include: umbilical cord accidents, trauma, maternal diabetes, high blood pressure and postdate pregnancy (a pregnancy that lasts longer than 42 weeks