Stillbirth
The expected result of pregnancy is the birth of a living child. Some pregnancies do not result in a live birth. If a pregnancy ends without a live birth because of natural causes, this is called stillbirth, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, or spontaneous abortion.
Miscarriage is commonly used to describe the loss of a fetus, usually before the age of gestation of 20 weeks. Stillbirth is the delivery of an infant which is dead at birth, regardless of the stage of development.
If a pregnancy is terminated deliberately, this is termed induced abortion, which may be medical or surgical in nature.
Causes
Stillbirth, or more generically pregnancy loss, may be caused by:
The cause for any specific stillbirth is not always known.
Effects
Pregnancy loss is often emotionally devastating to the parents, particularly the mother. The stillbirth of an infant near or at term may be even more difficult to bear than early miscarriage. Parents who have lost a child to stillbirth may experience rage, depression, isolation, marital difficulties, and trouble resuming normal life.
Also See
Referenced By
Birth | Maternal death
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