A recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US stillbirth rate sharply declined last year, offering a ray of hope after years of uncertainty.
A report revealed that nearly 2% decline was seen in stillbirths in 2024, but still 20,000 pregnancies ended in fetal death.
The CDC stated that stillbirth rate in the United States has
slowly improved over time, falling from 7.5 per 1,000 pregnancies in 1990, but
progress has not remained steady.
Rates surged during the pandemic and have fluctuated slightly year
to year since.
The report showed a great improvement last year from three states:
Colorado showed a surge of 14%.
Utah showed 16% increase.
Meanwhile, Mississippi showed a 21% decrease.
Health experts say the improvement is encouraging, but measures
should be taken to stop these higher numbers.
While speaking to CNN, An expert Ashley Stoneburner stated, "Stillbirths affect just as many families as do infant deaths each year."
"It’s a really large problem, and a lot of the risk factors that we see for infant mortality, especially very early infant deaths, are the same that we see for babies that are born still," Ashley added
Risk factors for stillbirth can include hypertension, diabetes, obesity, stress, intense environmental exposures.
To reduce the higher numbers, the National Institutes of Health has introduced a $37 million research initiative this year focused on preventing stillbirth.
Research shows that nearly 40% of stillbirths may be preventable, and many remain unexplained.
