UK stillbirth rates higher than most high income nations

[Northernlurker]

here

Lancet study has shown the rate of stillbirth in the UK is (imo) unjustifiably high. I know there are many ladies on here who have been touched by this painful event. Lets hope this research will be a catalyst for improvement.

Agree 100% , there was a piece on this on BBC breakfast this morning.

Woke up this on the radio this morning, it's very shocking.

It's the regional variation that struck me the most:

'The causes behind the regional variations seen in the UK are also unclear, but the researchers believe social deprivation could be playing a part.'

It's easy to have an accusatory knee-jerk reaction to a study like this, but I think until we know the exact breakdown of the social-economic/ethnic demographic it is hard to form an opinion about whether NHS ante-natal and midwifery care is at fault here.

There are all sorts of reasons why some groups of women will have higher stillbirth rates than others and they are nothing to do with the quality of ante-natal care.

Maternal obesity is an easy target though isn't it. Everybody knows obese mothers should be filled with self loathing for endangering their children - or that's what the media seem to think. (I am overweight myself)

We just don't know enough I think. The rate of stillbirth is shockingly high compared to the rate of cot death now. All the energy that went in to saving babies from SIDS has to go in to stillbirth because it is happening far too much and it's a terrible, terrible thing.

positive action on how to reduce your chance of stillbirth

countthekicks.org.uk/

Yup - and since when was it acceptable to say 17 apparently healthy babies died today in the UK and we have no idea why and won't be finding out either and we can't do anything to stop it happening tomorrow as well?

I think they've changed that now to per day.

I cannot understand why there is not a bigger outcry over this. Surely it shows that many more resources need to be ploughed into antenatal care?

There isn't a big outcry as maternity care is sometimes known as the Cinderella service - its neglected compared to other areas of healthcare. The problem is is that people tend to only realise how shortstaffed, etc maternity services are when they're pregnant and 8 months later they don't have a personal interest (or are too busy) in kicking up a fuss anymore. There does need to be a more sustained campaign like the SIDS campaign.

As for regional differences - one of the biggest risk factors of having a stillbirth is not speaking English fluently. So sadly there will be a higher rate in the Midlands as compared to Cornwall for instance.

I found that antenatal care is actually not brilliant in the UK. In other European countries (I had my first in italy and my second in the UK) you get more checks during the course of a pregnancy.
I keep saying this, but I really think that a scan in the 3rd trimester should be a routine. Scans at this time of gestation check on the placenta and the umbilical cord. You can see on the link that problems with the placenta cause the 29% of stillbirths.

What viva and Gail said.
A friend is a consultant anaesthetist in a busy city hospital in the south and frequently attends epidurals and c-sections. Tragically,in many cases, lots of immigrant non- English speaking women appear to be absent from the system and receive no antenatal care whatsoever. They then present at hospital in advanced labour, communicating via their partners, and outcomes, unsurprisingly, are not brilliant. This group alone probably skew the statistics in the Uk given the numbers my friend sees per week. Nonetheless, I find it appalling that this situation prevails in 21st century Britain, no matter what your ethnic origin, and some money needs to be targeted ASAP at improving outcomes.

I had extra checks cos in my 40s for last baby. Told age could be a risk factor. [No extra scan though just oap consultant visit]. Told it was due to older women and possible reduced placental function after 40 weeks. [Did not hear this on recent news though].

30% of stillbirth is totally unexplained - no problems visible with a placenta etc. It seems to me that things are just being chucked at this 30% to see if they 'click' - too old, too fat, just unlucky? - this is the 21st century - surely somewhere, somehow we could start to know not guess

Personally I think the advice given to pregnant women about how to monitor their own health in the UK seems to be lacking, although the French can't be getting it right because our stillbirth rate is even worse (but that, I suspect, is due to the outlying territories, the fact that many women continue to smoke and laxer guidance on 'banned' foods).

OK, what I'm finding is via google etc and MWs may go into more detail at ante-natal classs but I am surprised at the advice given on monitoring foetal movements and, after reading about the risks, that continued monitoring for toxoplasmosis isn't mandatory.

I agree NL, but 30% are linked to problems with the placenta, and some of these problems can be detected with an extra scan, which is provided in most European countries, but not in the UK.

Not old, over weight, not from an ethnic group, don't smoke, did't drink or eat (supposedly) naughty food, not flush but luckily not deprived financially, had a scan at 36 weeks because they thought DD2 was a wopper and STILL she died in the hours before I went into labour (we think) on her due date. 2 years on we have no idea why.

The doctors told us that a loss so late on is often unexplained. They can (and did) mostly tell what it wasn't but not what it was.

More checks in our situation clearly wouldn't have made any difference.

Woollyjo, how tragic and awful to lose your lovely dd.

Of course a 3rd trimester scan isn't the only solution. But it does make a difference for those pregnancies where problems with the placenta and the umbilical cord arise.

:( an unexplained loss must be so, so devastating. I'm so sorry woollyjo.

More can and should be done to identify those problems which are preventable/forseeable, though. 30% of stillbirths are unexplained - that means 70% are. Of course it doesn't mean 70% are preventable but knowledge can be power, even if not now then maybe in the future.

I agree claire - it comes down to social deprivation. Will probably get worse with this government.

I lost my 2nd child (a boy) in 2007. The pregnancy was fine until right at the end when I developed pre-eclampsia. In my view, the pregnancy was not monitored enough times in the latter stages, and when queried I was told that as my first pregnancy was normal, there was no reason to suspect there would be a problem in my second. I am now of the opinion that this is just an excuse to cut costs - every pregnancy carries risks, whether it is your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or whatever. I have recently learned through news articles that the UK has the 3rd highest rates of stillbirth in Europe, and that the situation has not improved for at least 10 years. Also, since 2007, I have noticed women are being seen less and less in the last trimester (evidence from friends and family) and I find this deplorable. The most dangerous stages of pregnancy is at the very beginning and at the very end. I suspect women are being seen less to cut costs, but surely the overrall costs amount to much higher when you think of the medical and psychological care women and perhaps their families would need following such an ordeal. I am now on a mission to try and do something about it, hence I have created an online petition. I urge you all to sign! www.change.org/petitions/the-...s-of-pregnancy. If you could share the link on any social networking sites too, please feel free!

I lost my first DD (stillborn) due to pre-eclampsia also in 2009. As I understand it, most Western European countries do a scan at 22-23 wks routinely (uterine artery dopplers) to check blood flow across the placenta - and monitor those babies at risk for PE more closely from then on. As about 500-600 babies a year die from PE this might make a difference.

In the UK this is only done in some "high risk" pregnancies. I have no idea why we don't do this routinely in the UK as I read a NICE report saying it would be cost-effective - I've wondered if we just don't have enough sonographers trained in this technique and no funds / political will to train more?

I am grateful for the excellent care I received in my second pregnancy and healthy second DD, but always wonder whether anything more could have been done to save my first. Its tough living with those thoughts.