What is a stillbirth?

A stillbirth is the loss of pregnancy due to natural causes after the 20th week of pregnancy. It can occur before delivery or during delivery.

What are the signs of a stillbirth?

In some cases of stillbirth, the mother may notice a decrease in the movement or kicking of the fetus. In these cases, the health care provider uses an ultrasound, a machine that uses sound waves to create a picture of the fetus, to learn more about its health.

If the fetus has died, an autopsy and placental examination is performed to get information on why the baby died. But it is not always possible to tell why the baby died.

If you are pregnant and have concerns about stillbirth, ask your health care provider if there are ways he or she wants you to track movement.

What are the causes of a stillbirth?

Causes of a stillbirth may include:

• Problems with the placenta, such an abruption in which the placenta peels away from the uterine wall
• Chromosomal abnormalities resulting from defects in the sperm or egg that make the fetus unable to develop properly
• Other physical problems in the fetus
• Fetuses that are small for their gestational age or not growing at an appropriate rate
• Bacterial infections that can cause complications and death to the fetus

In at least half of all cases, researchers can find no cause for the pregnancy loss.

What medical procedures are used when there is a stillbirth?

In some cases it is medically necessary for a woman to deliver the fetus immediately after the diagnosis of a stillbirth.

In other cases, the couple can decide when they want to deliver the fetus.

A health care provider can induce labor or perform a caesarean section to deliver the fetus. A woman will usually go into labor on her own within two weeks after the fetal death.