What is a Stillbirth?

Stillbirth is the death of an infant in-utero and past 20 completed gestational weeks. The majority of these deaths occur at or near full term – they are otherwise healthy babies that die shortly before or during birth.

Stillbirth deaths are unpredictable, and there area no identifiable risk factors. They cut across socio-economic classes, races, religions, body types and maternal age groups. No woman is immune.

About 1 in 200 pregnancies ends in a stillbirth.

Up to 50% of stillbirths occur in pregnancies that had seemed problem-free. The most common causes of stillbirth include placental problems (such as placental abruption or other conditions that prevent the placenta from supplying enough oxygen and nutrients to the fetus), chromosomal abnormalities, and infection. Less frequent culprits are umbilical cord accidents, death during delivery, trauma, and maternal diabetes or high blood pressure. In more than a third of cases, the stillbirth is unexplained. "There often are no physical symptoms to alert you to a potential stillbirth," says Bruce Flamm, M.D., a Parents advisory-board member and a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California.

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