In India, out of every thousand deliveries, six babies are born dead, iron deficiency during pregnancy is the major reason

News Topical, Digital Desk : In 2020, six out of every thousand deliveries in India were stillbirths, with urban mothers seeing higher rates than rural mothers. The rate is particularly high in the northern states.

However, efforts are being made to reduce the rate across the country. This has been revealed by the analysis of data from national surveys and civil registration system. The study by scientists from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur and the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, found that hotspots of stillbirths are mainly located in northern and central India.

Death rate is higher in northern India

Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan recorded the highest rates of stillbirths in northern India, showed the findings published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal. Pregnant women's health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or infection, can increase the risk of stillbirth. Not getting enough nutrition for pregnant women can also be a factor.

The team analysed data collected from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and the 2020 report of the Civil Registration System, which is managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and records vital events such as births, deaths and stillbirths in India. The nationwide stillbirth rate (SBR) in 2020 was 6.548 per 1,000 total births (female: 6.54; male: 6.63). The stillbirth rate was higher among urban mothers than among rural mothers, the research authors wrote.

Anemia is a big reason

Higher rates of stillbirths were also found in districts where pregnant women were anaemic (iron deficient) and underweight. These are factors that are known to increase the risk of adverse birth outcomes, including stillbirth. Babies born prematurely are at higher risk of stillbirth. There are many complications at birth such as lack of oxygen or other problems during delivery.

Infections in newborns can also cause stillbirths. Clean menstrual practices and caesarean (C-section) deliveries, in which the baby is born through a surgical procedure, were found to be associated with lower rates of stillbirths, particularly in Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The authors said that according to NFHS-5 data, the prevalence of C-section deliveries in South India was about 45 per cent in 2019-2020.

It is important to take iron tablets and folic acid

Evidence from states such as Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh showed that receiving at least four antenatal check-ups and consuming iron and folic acid during pregnancy can significantly reduce the risk of stillbirth.

Overall, higher rates of stillbirths were found in areas where pregnant women were anaemic, more deliveries were taking place in public health facilities and women had lower wealth levels, the researchers said. However, there were no disparities in gender-specific stillbirth rates across districts in the country, even though higher stillbirth rates were observed in male foetuses, which could also indicate biological susceptibility. 

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