Stillbirth

Summary

If a woman loses a pregnancy after she’s past her 20th week, it’s called a stillbirth. Stillbirths are due to natural causes. They can happen before delivery or during delivery. Causes include:

• Problems with the placenta, the organ that transports oxygen and nutrients to the fetus
• Genetic problems with the fetus
• Fetal infections
• Other physical problems in the fetus

In at least half of all cases, it is not possible to tell why the baby died.

If stillbirth happens before delivery, your health care provider may induce labor or perform a Cesarean section to deliver the fetus. In some cases, you can wait until you go into labor yourself. This usually happens within two weeks of stillbirth.

Counseling may help you cope with your grief. Later, if you do decide to try again, work closely with your health care provider to lower the risks. Many women who have a stillbirth go on to have healthy babies.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Fetal Death National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Stillbirth National Institutes of Health

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Find an Ob-Gyn American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• March of Dimes Foundation March of Dimes Foundation

Related Issues

• FAQs about Pregnancy Loss (Before 20 Weeks of Pregnancy) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) American Society for Reproductive Medicine

Statistics and Research

• Infant Mortality Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Stillbirth Data and Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Diagnosis and Tests

• Karyotype Genetic Test National Library of Medicine

Start Here

• Pregnancy Loss Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health
• Stillbirth Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• What Is Stillbirth? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Journal Articles

• Stillbirth

Patient Handouts

• When your baby is stillborn Medical Encyclopedia