Stillbirth: What Is A Stillbirth?

A stillbirth is the death or loss of a baby before or during delivery. Both miscarriage and stillbirth describe pregnancy loss, but they differ according to when the loss occurs.

In the United States, a miscarriage is usually defined as the loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy, and stillbirth is the loss of a baby at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Stillbirth is further classified as either early, late, or term.

An early stillbirth is a fetal death occurring between 20 and 27 completed weeks of pregnancy.

A late stillbirth occurs between 28 and 36 completed pregnancy weeks.

A term stillbirth occurs between 37 or more completed pregnancy weeks.

The reasons for stillbirth go unexplained for 1/3 of cases. The other 2/3 may be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord, high blood pressure, infections, birth defects, or poor lifestyle choices.

This does not mean that every individual of black race or older age is at higher risk for having a stillbirth. It simply means that overall as a group, more stillbirths occur among all mothers of black race or older age when compared to white mothers and mothers under 35 years of age.

Differences in factors such as maternal health, income, access to quality health care, stress, social and emotional support resources, and cultural factors may explain how these factors are related to having a stillbirth.

More research is needed to determine the underlying cause of stillbirths in these populations.