Researchers call for guidelines for investigation into cause of stillbirth

A STAGGERING six in 10 parents who have a stillborn baby leave hospital with no explanation for the shock death, Queensland researchers have discovered, hampering future prevention efforts.

• Journalist shares her personal story of losing a baby

SIX in 10 parents who have a stillborn baby leave hospital with no explanation for the shock death, Queensland researchers have discovered.

Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland scientists are calling for the Australian Government to establish national guidelines for investigating stillbirths, saying grieving parents deserve answers.

A study from UQ’s Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth released yesterday found stillbirths were most commonly categorised as “unexplained”, “other” and “haemorrhage”.

“If we can’t explain why a stillbirth has happened, it’s impossible to know what to target to prevent it in future,” the centre’s Hannah Reinebrant said.

The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows 406 stillbirths annually in Queensland, which has one of the lowest autopsy rates in the country.

The global study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, reviewed 85 reports on stillbirths in 50 countries.

“Placental problems are frequently reported across middle and high-income countries, but we found that in low-income countries, labour complications and infection were most common,” Dr Reinebrant said.

The World Health Organisation has set a global target of 12 stillbirths or fewer per 1000 births by 2030, but Dr Reinebrant said even high-income countries needed to reduce stillbirth rates.

Australia has the 15th lowest rate in the world, with 2.7 stillbirths for every 1000 births, behind countries such as Iceland (1.3), Finland (1.8), Japan (2.1) and New Zealand (2.3).

Australia has ranked poorly in reducing its stillbirth rate over the past 15 years.

Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) Australia chief executive Andre Carvalho, has welcomed the call for better investigation into the heartbreaking losses to give clinicians crucial information for assessing the risk in future pregnancies.

“Stillbirth is always a tragedy. After their baby dies, parents continue to experience many other heartbreaking losses,” he said. “They lose their innocence, the life they’d imagined for their child, and often their hope for the future.”

Debbie and Franz Cruz have two beautiful boys, Jamie, 4, and Daniel, 2, but they lost twin boys, Michael and Jayden, who died at 20 weeks gestation five years ago. Picture: Annette Dew

Debbie and Franz Cruz have two beautiful boys, Jamie, 4 and Daniel, 2. But the Brisbane couple will never forget their twin boys, Michael and Jayden who died at 20 weeks gestation five years ago.

The twins’ death was categorised as “unexplained”.

“We actually did have an autopsy, but there were no clear findings. I went into my shell and blamed ­myself,” Ms Cruz said.

Ms Cruz fell pregnant with Jamie just three months after the loss of her twin boys.

“I was a mess. I was so terribly frightened. I didn’t know if the same thing was going to happen again,” she said. The Cruz family believes parents need better answers when a baby dies and welcomes the call for national investigative guidelines.