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.

Psychiatric illness linked to stillbirth and newborn deaths

Women with a history of serious mental illness are much more likely to have babies that are stillborn or die within the first month of life, new research reveals.

From The University of Manchester 10 Nov 2008

Single embryo advice to IVF clinics will reduce the number of multiple births

Experts in the UK are advising that wherever possible, only one embryo per IVF cycle should be transferred in order to cut the rate of multiple births.

3 Sep 2008

Epsom salt reduces risk of prem babies being born with cerebral palsy

A new study has found a simple way to reduce the risk of premature babies being born with cerebral palsy.

28 Aug 2008

Researchers identify molecular mechanism underlying a genetic brain malformation called holoprosencephaly

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified one of the molecular mechanisms underlying the genetic brain malformation called holoprosencephaly (HPE).

11 Aug 2008

Stillbirths, infant deaths lead to anxiety, guilt among obstetricians

Nearly one in 10 obstetricians in a new study has considered giving up obstetric practice because of the emotional toll of stillbirths and infant deaths.

30 Jun 2008

Treatment for cigarette, alcohol and drug use in pregnancy improves outcomes for mother and baby

Pregnant women who receive treatment for substance abuse early in their pregnancy can achieve the same health outcomes as pregnant women with no substance abuse, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the Journal of Perinatology.

27 Jun 2008

Potential hypophosphatasia therapy discovered

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, led by José Luis Millán, Ph.D., have demonstrated in mice the first successful use of enzyme replacement therapy to prevent hypophosphatasia (HPP), a primary skeletal disease of genetic origin. This discovery lays the foundation for future clinical trials for HPP patients.

1 Jun 2008

Obese pregnant women use more health care services

Obesity during pregnancy is associated with greater use of health care services and longer hospital stays, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research.

3 Apr 2008

Occasional binge drinking during pregnancy does not harm fetus review says

Scientists in the UK say though the relationship between sustained heavy drinking in pregnancy and health problems for mother and child is well-established, there is little evidence that occasional binge drinking during pregnancy harms the unborn child.

14 Nov 2007

Study looks at progesterone therapy

Progesterone therapy does not reduce the chances of preterm birth in women pregnant with twins, reported researchers in a network sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

3 Aug 2007

New mothers often not asked about depression

The majority of doctors in North Carolina do not probe for signs of postpartum depression in new mothers, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

1 Jun 2007

Rapid syphilis testing prevents congenital disease and stillbirths

Congenital syphilis is a major preventable public health problem in many developing countries, frequently causing stillbirths or neonatal death and disabling children who survive.

30 May 2007

No alcohol in pregancy is the safest choice

Women should not drink alcohol while pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians was told today in Melbourne.

8 May 2007

Ultrasound and blood tests screen high-risk pregnant mothers for placental damage

If the placenta is not functioning properly it could be a potential danger to the health of the mother and fetus. Abnormalities can lead to conditions such as preeclampsia, which is maternal high blood pressure, stillbirth or the need for a pre-term delivery.

2 Apr 2007

After age 40 pregnant mums have three times the risk of stillbirth

According to researchers at Yale School of Medicine in the United States, women who have a baby when they are aged 40 or over are three times more likely to experience a stillbirth.

12 Feb 2007

Pregnancy at 40 and beyond is an independent risk factor for stillbirth

Pregnant patients of advanced maternal age (AMA) are at increased risk for a multitude of pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, placenta previa and intrauterine growth restriction.

11 Feb 2007

Fetal survival following preeclamptic pregnancy has improved

...substantially over the last 35 years in Norway, likely due to a reduction in stillbirths and improvements in clinical management, according to a study in the September 20 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

20 Sep 2006

New research could help women facing high risk of stillbirth

The risk of stillbirth is particularly high for women with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who suffer four times as many stillbirths as non-diabetic women.

5 Sep 2006

FDA advisory panel recommends approval of experimental preterm labor prevention drug

An FDA advisory committee on Tuesday voted 13-8 that clinical trial data regarding Adeza's experimental preterm labor prevention drug Gestiva was adequate to approve the drug, Dow Jones reports (Corbett Dooren, Dow Jones, 8/29).

30 Aug 2006

FDA questions effectiveness of Gestiva at preventing preterm labor

FDA in a review of Adeza's experimental preterm labor prevention drug Gestiva said the drug seems to reduce deliveries before 37 weeks' gestation but not births before 32 or 35 weeks' gestation, according to documents posted Monday on the agency's Web site.

30 Aug 2006