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Glossary of Terms

Stillbirth
Also called fetal death. The death of a fetus while still in the uterus is defined as the birth of an infant having none of the signs of life (respiration, heart beat, voluntary movement). The leading causes of stillbirths are hemorrhage-mostly due to placental abruption, often secondary to pregnancy-induced hypertension. The rate of this is about 3/1000 live births. Most occur before term and over half occur before 28 weeks.
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Date Last Modified: 08/28/2003 10:22