Maternal & Newborn Atlas
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Stillbirth

The death of a baby in the womb at or after the 20th week of pregnancy. It can happen before or during delivery. In many cases the cause remains unknown. In a large US study that examined stillbirths in detail, a probable cause was found in about six in ten, most often a problem with the pregnancy itself or with the placenta.

  • Condition
  • In this atlas

Overview

Technical summary

Condition of the fetus (recipient fetal), defined in MedlinePlus and by the NIH as fetal death at or after 20 weeks. The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (JAMA 2011) assigned a probable cause in 60.9% of 512 examined stillbirths; obstetric conditions and placental abnormalities were the most common causes. The AFFIRM trial (UK and Ireland, 2014 to 2016) found that a care package for reduced fetal movements did not reduce stillbirth. Burden figures: 1 in 160 US pregnancies (2011 report) and a 2015 worldwide estimate of 2.6 million.

Recognition

Fetal death from the 20th week of pregnancy onward, as MedlinePlus and the NIH define it; before delivery the diagnosis is made by checking whether the fetus's heart is beating (MedlinePlus)

Burden

  • Burden Observational Certainty not assessed

    A 2011 report from the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network says stillbirth affects 1 in 160 pregnancies in the United States, equal to the number of infant deaths each year. It adds that rates are higher than in other developed countries and have stagnated over the past decade, and that there is a significant racial disparity in the rate of stillbirth that is unexplained.

    Applies to Fetal
    • All pregnancies in the United States, as described in the background of a 2011 research report. This is a statement about a rate, not a study population.
    • Not applicable
    • United States
    • Pregnancy and birth
    • Gestational age Not reported
    • Postnatal age Not reported
    Follow-up Not stated in the parts of the source that were read.
    Certainty method
    Not assessed
    Limitations
    These are background statements in the abstract of a 2011 report, quoted without their own source, and rates may have changed since. They describe the United States only. Only the abstract was read.
    Last checked
    2026-10-14
    Next evidence check due
    Not scheduled
    Sources and citations (3)

    1. Supports Causes of death among stillbirths

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities, retrieved 2026-10-14. The full text and the version of record were not read. · Published 2011-12-14 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.1823 · PMID: 22166605

      Locator
      Abstract, CONTEXT, sentence 1
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      272e61d932ffe7f3ecf5e267e81a532966ffed45cbdb81ce538e3cf73a176058
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    2. Supports Causes of death among stillbirths

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities, retrieved 2026-10-14. The full text and the version of record were not read. · Published 2011-12-14 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.1823 · PMID: 22166605

      Locator
      Abstract, CONTEXT, sentence 2
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      272e61d932ffe7f3ecf5e267e81a532966ffed45cbdb81ce538e3cf73a176058
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    3. Supports Causes of death among stillbirths

      Publication · JAMA · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities, retrieved 2026-10-14. The full text and the version of record were not read. · Published 2011-12-14 · DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.1823 · PMID: 22166605

      Locator
      Abstract, CONTEXT, sentence 3
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      272e61d932ffe7f3ecf5e267e81a532966ffed45cbdb81ce538e3cf73a176058
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

  • Burden Observational Certainty not assessed

    The AFFIRM trial report states that 2.6 million pregnancies were estimated to have ended in stillbirth in 2015.

    Source problem. A cited source is corrected. Check the sources before relying on this claim.

    Applies to Fetal
    • All pregnancies worldwide, as estimated for 2015 and quoted in the background of the AFFIRM report. This is a statement about an estimate, not a study population.
    • Not applicable
    • Worldwide
    • Pregnancy and birth
    • Gestational age Not reported
    • Postnatal age Not reported
    Follow-up Not stated in the parts of the source that were read.
    Certainty method
    Not assessed
    Limitations
    A background estimate quoted in the abstract of the AFFIRM report without its own source or definition of stillbirth, and it is a 2015 figure. Only the abstract was read. AFFIRM has a published correction that was read; it concerns Table 2 and the stillbirth definition (22 weeks or later) and does not change the primary outcome.
    Last checked
    2026-10-14
    Next evidence check due
    Not scheduled
    Sources and citations (4)

    1. Supports Awareness of fetal movements and care package to reduce fetal mortality (AFFIRM): a stepped wedge, cluster-randomised trial

      Publication · Lancet (London, England) · Edition PubMed record (abstract and bibliographic data) from NCBI E-utilities, retrieved 2026-10-14. The full text and the version of record were not read. · Published 2018-11-03 · DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31543-5 · PMID: 30269876

      Locator
      Abstract, BACKGROUND, sentence 1
      How it applies
      PubMed abstract.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Corrected
      Snapshot hash
      006e9645dc5dfc95994f53fb1c3790e59ca744c8b7afde854e6ff8ae3ef43bf3
      Reuse basis
      PubMed record fetched through NCBI E-utilities. Only the hash of the bytes is kept, because publisher copyright may apply to the abstract (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/). Short factual quotations under 25 words, with the citation.

    2. Background Department of Error

      Publication · Lancet (London, England) · Edition PMC Open Access subset article (a published correction), full-text XML from NCBI E-utilities, retrieved 2026-10-14. · PMCID: PMC7658309 · PMID: 34338212 · DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31973-5

      Locator
      Body, paragraph 1, sentence 1, fragment 1 of 2
      How it applies
      Frames the population or setting. Source page.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      896ddf6ee57b629c2c751e7b5ba4a2a691cc9a32a1aae52f4ebc0af3e773c283
      Reuse basis
      PMC Open Access subset article under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The article's own <permissions> states the licence. The XML is committed unaltered, with the citation and licence kept in the file. The raw file is committed at research/snapshots/mf-pmc-PMC7658309.xml.

    3. Background Department of Error

      Publication · Lancet (London, England) · Edition PMC Open Access subset article (a published correction), full-text XML from NCBI E-utilities, retrieved 2026-10-14. · PMCID: PMC7658309 · PMID: 34338212 · DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31973-5

      Locator
      Body, paragraph 1, sentence 1, fragment 2 of 2
      How it applies
      Frames the population or setting. Source page.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      896ddf6ee57b629c2c751e7b5ba4a2a691cc9a32a1aae52f4ebc0af3e773c283
      Reuse basis
      PMC Open Access subset article under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The article's own <permissions> states the licence. The XML is committed unaltered, with the citation and licence kept in the file. The raw file is committed at research/snapshots/mf-pmc-PMC7658309.xml.

    4. Background Department of Error

      Publication · Lancet (London, England) · Edition PMC Open Access subset article (a published correction), full-text XML from NCBI E-utilities, retrieved 2026-10-14. · PMCID: PMC7658309 · PMID: 34338212 · DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31973-5

      Locator
      Body, paragraph 1, sentence 2
      How it applies
      Frames the population or setting. Source page.
      Retrieved
      Source effective date
      Not reported
      Source state
      Current
      Snapshot hash
      896ddf6ee57b629c2c751e7b5ba4a2a691cc9a32a1aae52f4ebc0af3e773c283
      Reuse basis
      PMC Open Access subset article under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The article's own <permissions> states the licence. The XML is committed unaltered, with the citation and licence kept in the file. The raw file is committed at research/snapshots/mf-pmc-PMC7658309.xml.

Expected and past events

Record details

Record id
maternal:stillbirth
Content hash
63d486a7d0503084ad112703b75986a8e5837cb2a7e716aabe9939fb60900921