Stillbirth and Associated Risk Factors

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, 2.6 million pregnancies are stillborn worldwide each year. In the second half of pregnancy, the biological cause of death for all fetuses and stillborns is hypoxic brain cell damage of an irreversible nature. There are several risks of hypoxic fetal brain damage, but the main one is low fetal resistance to intrauterine hypoxia. In this case, the role of fetal resistance to hypoxia increases in direct proportion to the increase in gestational age and becomes crucial in physiologic (vaginal) childbirth. During vaginal delivery, the fetuses are subjected to additional hypoxic tests caused by periodic uterine contractions, at the peak of which the uterus compresses the vessels supplying blood to the placenta, causing periods of ischemia. Unfortunately, there is no standardized test for fetal resistance to hypoxia.

Сesarean section can save the life of the fetus and the health of the newborn with low resistance to hypoxia. However, there are still no standardized criteria for choosing С-section as an alternative to vaginal delivery for low fetal resistance to hypoxia.

In this special issue, leading scientists will talk about new knowledge related to the risks of stillbirth, the possibilities of assessing fetal resistance to intrauterine hypoxia in real time, and methods of preventing hypoxic damage to fetal brain cells during pregnancy and childbirth. Special attention will be paid to the possibilities of increasing the resistance of the fetal brain to intrauterine hypoxia, developing a functional test for fetal resistance to hypoxia and clarifying criteria for timely Caesarean section in order to preserve fetal health, and prevention of neonatal encephalopathy.

Prof. Dr. Aleksandr Urakov
Guest Editor

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