Stillbirth News and Research

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Stillbirth refers to the death of a baby before or during delivery and after 24 weeks of pregnancy. If a baby dies before 24 weeks of completed pregnancy, the term “miscarriage” or fetal loss applies instead.

Novel biomarkers can diagnose and assess the risk of preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a devastating disorder that occurs very suddenly in the second half of pregnancy and causes severe health problems for both mother and baby.

3 Jul 2020

Female reproductive organs not susceptible to direct SARS-CoV-2 infection

Researchers at the University in San Francisco, California, report that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unlikely to negatively impact on pregnancy-related outcomes such as premature birth, transmission to babies via breast milk, and infertility.

23 Jun 2020

Woman's immune system behaves differently between first and later pregnancies

Among the holy quests of serious and mysterious medical challenges that doctors and research scientists strive to vanquish is preventing miscarriages, stillbirth and other pregnancy complications including preterm births.

23 Jun 2020

Exposure to flame retardant impacts paternal reproduction

A new study from the University of Georgia has shown that exposure to a now-banned flame retardant can alter the genetic code in sperm, leading to major health defects in children of exposed parents.

9 Jun 2020

COVID-19 appears to attack the placenta in pregnant women

Pregnant women should take extra precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic. A new study shows that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), attacks the placenta.

26 May 2020

High pre-pregnancy glucose levels linked to adverse outcomes even in non-diabetic women

An elevated pre-pregnancy hemoglobin A1c--which measures average blood glucose concentration--is associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes even in women without known diabetes, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Joel Ray of ICES and the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues.

22 May 2020

Placentas of pregnant women with COVID-19 showed abnormalities

A study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University, Chicago, has found that the placentas of pregnant women who were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) showed abnormalities, compared with those of uninfected women.

13 May 2020

Impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and breastfed infants

Pregnant women are among those at high risk of developing COVID-19, as confirmed in Wuhan early in the pandemic. A new study from Portugal published on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 analyses the data on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and disease outcomes, using published cases of pregnant women diagnosed with the illness.

4 May 2020

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders may lead to mental health conditions in children

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders, especially preeclampsia, a form of high blood pressure during pregnancy, may lead to adverse mental health conditions in children, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

20 Apr 2020

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders may lead to mental health conditions in children

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders, especially preeclampsia, may lead to adverse mental health conditions in children.

20 Apr 2020

Pregnancy and fetal outcomes with COVID-19

A new study published preprint in the non-peer-reviewed journal medRxiv in April 2020 provides a systematic review of maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancy affected by COVID-19, as well as the risk of vertical transmission of the virus.

16 Apr 2020

Study questions impact of GAP program on stillbirth rates

Clinicians in many countries are using what's known as the Growth Assessment Protocol (GAP) to monitor fetal growth in pregnant women.

8 Apr 2020

Women who experience postpartum psychiatric disorders less likely to have a second child

Women who experience postpartum psychiatric disorders after the birth of their first child are less likely have more children.

30 Mar 2020

Who should stay at home due to coronavirus?

COVID-19 is a spreading viral illness, mostly mild but fatal in the sick and elderly. At present, it has affected almost 200,000 people, with nearly 8,000 deaths worldwide. Governments around the world are formulating and executing new guidelines to control the spread of the virus. In the latest guidelines, pregnant women join the list of individuals who must stay away from all social contact for 12 weeks to limit the spread of the virus and deaths due to the illness.

17 Mar 2020

Newer antiretroviral drugs may be the safest, most effective HIV treatment during pregnancy

The antiretroviral drugs dolutegravir and emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (DTG+FTC/TAF) may comprise the safest and most effective HIV treatment regimen currently available during pregnancy, researchers announced today.

11 Mar 2020

What is the best week for the birth of twins?

A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics indicates that the optimal time of birth for twins is at 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

9 Mar 2020

High stillbirth rates worldwide linked to gender inequality

In the first comprehensive study mapping global patterns of stillbirth rates, University of Saskatchewan researchers have found that pregnant women who are poor and have lower access to education and employment are more likely to experience a child's death at delivery.

4 Feb 2020

Mothers who smoke, drink alcohol during pregnancy increase risk for SIDS 12-fold

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also called crib death or cot death, is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant less than one-year-old. There is no exact known cause of SIDS, but a recent study shows that mothers who smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol during pregnancy may have babies with a 12-fold increased risk of SIDS.

20 Jan 2020

Prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure linked to increased risk for SIDS

Children born to mothers who both drank and smoked beyond the first trimester of pregnancy have a 12-fold increased risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) compared to those unexposed or only exposed in the first trimester of pregnancy, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health.

20 Jan 2020

Scientists urge further caution on use of Viagra for fetal therapy

University of Manchester scientists investigating a possible treatment for fetal growth restriction, a condition in which babies grow poorly in the womb, have urged further caution on the use of Viagra.

17 Jan 2020