ποΈ Stillbirth Risk Factors Guide
Know the factors. Bring them to your OB.
Select the factors that apply. This is an educational checklist, not a personal risk prediction.
Risk factors selected
For informational purposes only, not medical advice.
Stillbirth in the US occurs in about 1 in 175 births, and known risk factors include maternal age 35+, obesity, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, multiple pregnancy, prior loss, and post-term gestation. Selecting two of the eight, for example age 35+ and hypertension, gives 2 factors to discuss with your OB. This page deliberately gives no personal probability: risk factors guide monitoring and care, they do not predict individual outcomes, and most pregnancies with risk factors end with healthy babies.
Talking about stillbirth is difficult, and avoiding the topic does not make it rarer. Knowing the factors lets you ask for the monitoring you need and recognize the warning signs that matter.
How to Use This Guide
Select the factors that apply to you. Bring the list to your prenatal visits and ask what monitoring each one earns.
Select each factor that applies, honestly and without judgment. These are medical facts, not failings.
Read the guidance for your count. The message is always the same shape: discuss, monitor, plan.
Ask your OB specifically: does any factor change my visit schedule, ultrasound plan, or delivery timing?
The Known Risk Factors
Some factors are modifiable: quitting smoking, managing diabetes and blood pressure, and achieving a healthy pre-pregnancy weight all lower risk. Some are not: age, prior loss, carrying multiples. The modifiable ones deserve action; the unmodifiable ones deserve monitoring, not guilt.
Many stillbirths have no identified factor, which is the hardest truth here. Risk checklists catch the preventable portion; they cannot promise prevention. Good prenatal care, kick counting, and prompt evaluation of decreased movement are the universal protections.
Worked Example
A 37-year-old with chronic hypertension, first pregnancy, non-smoker, normal weight: two factors selected (2 of 8). Her OB would likely recommend blood pressure optimization, growth ultrasounds in the third trimester, and antenatal testing, with delivery timing discussed as term approaches. The factors changed her care plan, which is exactly their purpose.
A 26-year-old with no factors still counts kicks and reports decreased movement same-day, because most stillbirths occur in pregnancies with no risk factors at all. The checklist serves the high-risk group; vigilance serves everyone.
What Actually Helps
| Action | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Regular prenatal care | Catches hypertension, diabetes, and growth problems early. |
| Kick counting from 28 weeks | Decreased movement is the warning sign patients can detect. |
| Same-day evaluation for decreased movement | Prompt assessment can identify treatable problems in time. |
| Managing chronic conditions | Controlled diabetes and blood pressure lower risk meaningfully. |
| Not smoking | One of the clearest modifiable risk factors. |
My honest view: if this page does one thing, let it be the decreased-movement rule. Call your provider or go to labor and delivery the same day, every time. It is the single action most likely to change an outcome.
Limits of This Page
Risk factors are associations from population studies, not personal predictions, and this checklist weights them equally for simplicity when reality does not. It cannot account for your full history, and it must never generate either false reassurance or unnecessary fear. Your OB's assessment, with your chart in hand, is the real one.
Related Tools
Track the pregnancy with the pregnancy due date calculator and nutrition with the pregnancy weight gain calculator.
For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
How common is stillbirth?
In the US, about 1 in 175 births, roughly 21,000 per year per CDC data. Rates are higher with certain risk factors and vary by maternal age, race, and access to care.
What are the main risk factors for stillbirth?
Maternal age 35+, obesity, smoking, diabetes, hypertension/preeclampsia, multiple pregnancy, prior stillbirth or miscarriage, post-term gestation, and some infections. Many cases have no identified factor.
Can stillbirth be prevented?
Sometimes. Managing diabetes and blood pressure, not smoking, regular prenatal care, kick counting, and prompt evaluation of decreased movement all reduce risk. Not all stillbirths are preventable, which makes the modifiable factors more important, not less.
What is kick counting?
Tracking fetal movements daily from about 28 weeks to learn your baby's pattern. There is no magic number; the point is knowing what is normal for your baby and reporting decreases promptly.
What should I do if movements decrease?
Contact your provider or go to labor and delivery the same day, every time. Do not wait to see if it improves. Most evaluations turn out fine, and the ones that do not are time-sensitive.
Does a prior stillbirth raise risk?
Yes, it is a recognized risk factor, which is why subsequent pregnancies get enhanced monitoring. Many families go on to have healthy babies with appropriate care and support.
Does maternal age really matter?
Risk rises gradually from the mid-30s, more steeply after 40. Age is unmodifiable, so its role is to prompt appropriate monitoring rather than worry.
Are boys at higher risk?
Slightly, in population data, male fetuses have marginally higher stillbirth rates. It is a small effect and not something individuals act on.
How is stillbirth different from miscarriage?
In the US, stillbirth generally means fetal death at or after 20 weeks of gestation; earlier losses are classified as miscarriage. Definitions vary slightly by state and country.
Where can I find support after a loss?
Your OB can refer to bereavement resources, and organizations like the Star Legacy Foundation and local hospital programs support grieving families. You do not have to carry it alone.