Stillbirth: maternal and fetal evaluation

Stillbirth occurs in approximately 1% of all pregnancies and, therefore, unfortunately, is an experience that most physicians caring for pregnant women will face in their professional careers. Because stillbirth is such an unpleasant and traumatic experience, a detailed evaluation is often deferred. The most common cause of stillbirth is believed to be chronic fetal hypoxia or asphyxia. However, this may not always be obvious initially. Therefore, the physician must be prepared to provide a complete evaluation. A protocol is provided to aid in that task. Obviously, not all the tests and studies described need to be performed in every case; a tailored evaluation, if possible, is always preferable.