Study on stillbirth could change guidelines for some

New research has shown South Asian- and African-born women in Australia face a far greater risk of stillbirth than their locally born counterparts. The findings have prompted a rethink of international guidelines and the tailoring of late-term foetal monitoring for mothers from different ethnic backgrounds.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The study of almost 700,000 births in Victoria between 2000 and 2011 shows the overall stillbirth rate for South Asian-born mothers was just over five for every thousand.

 

The figure was 3.3 per thousand for those from Australia and New Zealand.

 

With the research, obstetricians are now developing new guidelines which would bring forward the crucial post-term surveillance of pregnant mothers of South Asian background.

 

It would move from 41-and-a-half weeks to 39.