There are many causes of stillbirth, ranging from birth defects to problems with the pregnancy. Often, healthcare providers cannot determine a specific cause for a particular stillbirth.
As many as one out of every three stillbirths do not have an identifiable cause. Other stillbirths may occur as a result of multiple risk factors but not one single cause.
A wide variety of risk factors—including pregnancy complications, chronic health conditions, genetics, environmental factors, and social determinants of health—have been associated with stillbirth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Approximately 20 percent of stillbirths are attributed to genetic changes in the baby that may have contributed to the stillbirth. Prior studies have looked only for big changes in a baby’s DNA (the building blocks of genetic information), while newer sequencing technology allows researchers to look for tiny errors in the genetic information contained in each cell. Studying possible mistakes in DNA may provide new answers to what else could cause stillbirth.
The goal of the International Fetal Genomics Consortium (IFGC) is to advance the understanding of the genetic causes of stillbirth worldwide. The consortium resembles a library housing fetal genetic information available to researchers worldwide. Pooling resources and stored genetic information will allow new scientific discoveries about how to prevent stillbirth. With your help, the IFGC can give families like you more answers to some of the questions surrounding a stillbirth.
We are available to answer your questions and tell you more about our goals.
