A New Study Found That a Quarter of Stillbirths in the US May Be Preventable

According to new research published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, nearly 25 percent of all stillbirths in the United States are potentially preventable. And that's a big deal considering how high the rate of stillbirths is in the US, compared to other developed countries. The CDC reports that 1 percent — or 24,000 babies — are stillborn in the US every year. That's about 10 times the amount of children who pass away from SIDS annually.

"We've essentially plateaued relative to other high-income countries with similar demographics," said study author Dr. Robert Silver, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, in an interview with The Huffington Post.

The study analyzed 512 stillbirths that were racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse between 2006 and 2008. All the stillbirths were enrolled in the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network, a group that works to uncover the various reasons for stillbirths in the US and how to better prevent them.

To be considered for the study, the participants had to be at least 24 weeks gestation and weigh at least 500 grams. Researchers used the following benchmarks to evaluate each case: maternal interview, medical record abstraction, biospecimen collection, postmortem examination, placental pathology, and clinically recommended evaluation to see if the death met the study's criteria for being a "potentially preventable stillbirth."

The study authors found that of the 512 stillbirths analyzed that 22.3 percent could likely have been prevented and were due to a range of issues: placental insufficiency — when the placenta is damaged or underdeveloped and doesn't adequately nourish the baby — maternal health issues like diabetes and hypertension, labor complications, and premature labor.

And make no mistake, your race and ethnicity may put you at a higher risk for having a stillborn baby if you live in the US. According to the CDC, in 2013 alone, the fetal mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women hovered at 10.53, which is more than twice the rate for non-Hispanic white mothers (4.88) and Asian or Pacific Islander women, who had the lowest fetal mortality rate at 4.68.

The reason for the huge statistical disparity between races in the US? A combination of economic factors and adequate access to healthcare.

"A lot of it has to do with access," explained Silver. "I think that our ceiling is higher than some other countries, but our floor is lower as a consequence of our health care system. So we can do a lot of really awesome things that other people can't do, like heart transplants and stuff like that, but then we also have people with no or limited access who end up falling through the cracks."