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Obesity linked to high stillbirth rates

08/05/2008

Rising levels of obesity could be contributing to the rates of stillbirths in the UK, a new study has warned today.

The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) found that the stillbirth rate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is not decreasing, with 5.3 babies out of every 1,000 births being stillborn in 2006.

Women who had a stillbirth were found to be more likely to be aged below 20 or above 40; from deprived circumstances; or from an ethnic minority.

Over a quarter (26 per cent) of the mothers who had a stillbirth and 22 per cent of mothers who had a neonatal death (during first four weeks after birth) were obese.

This research adds to previous studies which have linked stillbirths, neonatal deaths and obesity and CEMACH is currently running a study into this issue.

The report also warns that there is a poor uptake of post mortem examination for stillbirths, with uptake falling from 48 per cent in 2000 to 38 per cent in 2000.

Post mortems are important as they can provide useful information for families as well as for doctors, both in caring for individual patients and for better understanding the causes of perinatal deaths (immediately before and after birth), including stillbirths.

Positive findings from the CEMACH report include an improvement in the neonatal death rate and a fall in the number of babies dying from twin pregnancies.

CEMACH chief executive Richard Congdon said such improvements are "encouraging".

However he added: "On the other hand, we have repeated the points we made last year that the stillbirth rate is not improving and about the reduction in the number of post mortems carried out in recent years."

Jane Brewin, chief executive of the baby charity Tommy's, said the CEMACH study shows more research is "desperately needed" into finding the causes of stillbirth.

"Obesity in pregnancy is a significant problem in this country and has massive implications for both mother and baby," she explained.

"It carries an increased risk of major pregnancy complications including miscarriage, preterm birth and stillbirth."

Ms Brewin said that if the impact of obesity in pregnancy could be reduced there could be "massive long-term implications" for reducing deaths of mothers and babies.