Risk Factors for Stillbirth: Time to Stop, Rethink, Act, and Let Every Baby Count

Ratna Tejaswi Papola, Shubhra Agarwal

Abstract

The incidence of stillbirth in India is relatively high, when compared globally. Fetal death is multifactorial, and the causes could be maternal, placental, or fetal. The Every Newborn Action Plan targets to reduce the stillbirth rate (SBR) to ≤ 12 per 1,000 total births, by 2030. The major risk factors for stillbirth are prenatal infections, pregnancy-induced hypertension, congenital malformations, intrauterine growth restriction, and prematurity. Certain causes are preventable, with regular monitoring and timely intervention. Therefore, better maternity, prenatal, and intranatal care are required to prevent and decrease the incidence of stillbirths and to achieve a single digit SBR; this also helps in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes.

We report a series of 8 cases with varied clinical presentation, who were admitted and managed by all possible means, at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Teerthanker Mahaveer Medical College and Research Center (Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India).