Maternal and neonatal characteristics for late foetal death in Latvia between 2001 and 2014: Population-based study

Introduction. Stillbirth is one of the most common adverse pregnancy outcomes worldwide. Late foetal death (LFD) rates are mostly used for international comparisons because of the large variations in stillbirth rates between countries. Objective. To examine trends in LFD (including antepartum and intrapartum) by multiple births, birth weight, and maternal age in two time periods. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was used to analyse data from the Medical Birth Register (2001-2014), divided into 2 periods of 7 years each. In total, data on 1,340 singletons were analysed. This study calculated LFD rates and rate ratios (RR). Results. The overall LFD rate showed a slight statistically significant reduction (p < 0.001) of 18% between 2001-2007 and 2008-2014. There was a slight increase in the mortality rate from multiple pregnancies (RR 1.1/1000; 95% CI 0.6-1.9). There were no major differences in the LFD rate by maternal age during the time periods. Conclusions. LFD decreased (RR 0.8/1000 births), as well as intrapartum LFD (RR 0.6/1000 births). Older maternal age influenced pregnancy outcomes, and higher LFD rates were observed in the age group ≥35 years. Substantial intrapartum stillbirths rates indicate problems with quality of intrapartum care and emergency obstetric care. Further research is needed to evaluate the strategies necessary to substantially reduce the number of stillbirths in the country.