[Comments on stillbirth frequency in Suhl region, between 1970 and 1977 (author's transl)]

An analysis is presented in this paper of 525 stillbirths, related to 54,342 births, in the region of Suhl, between 1970 and 1977. The above number of stillbirths was subdivided by main groups of diagnosis and analysed by various parameters. Stillbirth rates were found to be somewhat increased with mothers aged 30 years and above, with the third child and more of one and the same mother, as well as with birth weights below 2,500 g. Stillbirths classified "avoidable" by competent district and regional commissions are critically appraised for their underlying causes. The following conclusions were drawn from the findings and established as demands: Intensification of general and specialised attention to pregnant women, early detection of retardation in embryonic development, high-accuracy control of labour and early detection of any risk to the "intra-uterine patient", early and properly indicated use of intrapartum surgery, and improvement in density of the network of obstetric control methods to include also smaller maternal centers as of 800 childbirths per annum.