Study: Preventing early elective deliveries does not appear to increase stillbirths

Delaying delivery of otherwise healthy infants until at least the 39th week of pregnancy does not appear to increase stillbirths, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health and others. Based on national data reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study found that the U.S. stillbirth rate was 6.05 per 1,000 in 2012, the same as in 2006. “The lack of change in the prospective stillbirth rates indicates that preventing elective deliveries before 39 weeks did not increase the national stillbirth rate,” said lead author Marian MacDorman. In 2012, the AHA Board of Trustees adopted a formal position supporting policies to eliminate early-term, non-medically necessary deliveries, which research has shown can increase health complications for babies.