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Intrauterine fetal demise occurs almost as often as infant death in the U.S., yet inadequate data on vital statistics and fetal mortality often limit the value of research into the causes and predictors of stillbirth. The NIH's population-based Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network — with its standardized ascertainment of demographic, clinical, and laboratory data — offers some clarity. From March 2006 through September 2008, the study prospectively enrolled 663 women who experienced stillbirth and 1932 women who experienced live birth.
The researchers analyzed and characterized stillbirths on the basis of gestational age, race and ethnicity, and causes of death. Antepartum stillbirths before 28 weeks' gestation occurred largely in the c…