Myth: Stillbirth is just one of those things

Historically, stillbirth was often viewed as a tragic, unavoidable event without an explanation as to why it occurred. However, advances in medical science and the uptake of post-mortems and placental examinations, have improved our understanding of the causes. A cause is now found in 95% of stillbirths in Ireland (46).

The most common causes of stillbirth are: a placental condition meaning the placenta is not functioning as it should, and fetal anomalies. Identifying these causes provides parents with answers and offers valuable information that can be used to develop more effective prevention strategies (46).

The reduction in stillbirth rates in the UK and Australia due to targeted prevention efforts also shows that stillbirth is a preventable issue, not an unavoidable tragedy (19,20). 

References

(19) Safer Care Victoria. Safer baby | Safer Care Victoria. 2021. Available from: https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/improvement/projects/safer-baby. 

(20) Widdows K, Roberts S, Camacho S, Heazell A. Evaluation of the implementation of the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle in Early Adopter NHS Trusts in England. 2018. Available from: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/SPiRE-evaluation.pdf.

(46) San Lazaro Campillo I, Manning E, Corcoran P, Keane J, McKernan J, Greene RA, et al. Perinatal Mortality National Clinical Audit in Ireland Annual  Report 2022. Cork: National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre; 2024. Available from: https://www.ucc.ie/en/media/training-2024/trainingacademia190/PerinatalMortalityFormReport2022-3526AW.pdf.