About Stillbirth

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Key points

  • Stillbirth is more common than people may realize and remains a sad reality for many families.
  • If you’re pregnant and notice something that feels unusual or worries you, talk to your doctor.
woman looking off in distance

What it is

A stillbirth is the loss of a pregnancy at or after the 20th week of pregnancy. Stillbirth is different from miscarriage. In the United States, a miscarriage is usually defined as the loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy.

Stillbirth is further classified as early, late, or term:

  • Early stillbirth: Loss between 20 and 27 weeks of pregnancy.
  • Late stillbirth: Loss between 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
  • Term stillbirth: Loss at 37 weeks of pregnancy or later.
mom holding stillborn infant
CDC works to learn why stillbirths happen and what more can be done.

Who is at risk

Stillbirth can affect families of all backgrounds. While most pregnancies result in a healthy birth, stillbirth occurs more commonly among certain groups of people, including women who

  • are 35 years of age or older
  • are of low socioeconomic status
  • smoke cigarettes during pregnancy
  • have certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure
  • are pregnant with more than one baby (such as twins or triplets)
  • have had a stillbirth in the past

Stillbirth rates are higher in some racial or ethnic groups. In 2020, stillbirth occurred among non-Hispanic Black women two times more often than among non-Hispanic White and Asian or Pacific Islander women.12

These differences are not caused by biological or genetic differences between races and ethnicities. Researchers continue to study the many factors that may contribute to causes, including access to quality health care, pre-existing health conditions, and other factors that can affect pregnancy. Learning more about these factors helps improve our understanding of stillbirth and identify opportunities to create programs to prevent them.

Adrian's story

My son Adrian was stillborn due to complications from undiagnosed preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that can happen after 20 weeks of pregnancy. No one mentioned the risk of stillbirth, and none of my providers seemed concerned about my symptoms. The night before I hit my 41st week of pregnancy, I went to bed with my son actively kicking in my belly. By the time I woke up the following morning, he was dead. I wish I had known stillbirth is as common as it is. I wish I had known that having symptoms of preeclampsia was a big deal. Most of all, I wish more people talked about stillbirth. My son should be here, and he isn't.

What CDC is doing

CDC works to learn more about stillbirth. CDC does this by tracking how often stillbirth occurs and researching possible causes. This information can be used to develop recommendations, policies, and services to help prevent stillbirth. While we continue to learn more about stillbirth, much work remains.

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Content Source
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
About This Page
Published: May 15, 2024
Updated: August 26, 2026

This page was last updated on this date. Updates may include minor edits, image changes, or other modifications to page content.

Reviewed: August 17, 2026

The information on this page was last reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.

  1. Gregory EC, Valenzuela CP, Hoyert DL. Fetal Mortality: United States, 2020. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2022 Aug;71(4):1-20. PMID: 35947824.
  2. Hoyert DL, Gregory EC. Cause-of-death Data From the Fetal Death File,2018-2020. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2022 Oct;71(7):1-20. PMID: 36301230.