BD-STEPS Stillbirth Research Study

Stillbirth is more common than people realize. Each year, about 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States.^{1, 2}  Improvements in maternal health care since around 1940 has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the occurrence of stillbirth; however, recent progress in reducing stillbirths has slowed.¹

Stillbirths occur more often to women in certain racial or ethnic groups. In 2020, stillbirth occurred among non-Hispanic Black women two times more often than non-Hispanic White and Asian or Pacific Islander women.^{1, 2}

Stillbirth also occurs more commonly among women who:

• are 35 years of age or older
• are of low socioeconomic status
• smoke cigarettes during pregnancy
• have certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity
• are pregnant with more than one baby (such as twins or triplets)
• have had a stillbirth in the past

Health disparities in stillbirth are not rooted in biological and genetic differences between races and ethnicities. Moreover, Black mothers and those over age 35 do not inherently have a higher risk for stillbirth. Rather, these stillbirth risk factors have a greater influence on the risk for stillbirth among Black mothers and those over age 35 compared to White mothers and those under age 35. These disparities can be attributed to many underlying causes, including access to quality healthcare, pre-existing health conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias. Investigating these disparities may help researchers understand why stillbirths occur more often in certain racial and ethnic groups and can inform interventions to reduce them.