Pregnancy After Stillbirth: Does Timing Matter?

Stillbirth is one of the most common adverse pregnancy outcomes, occurring in 1 in 160 deliveries in the United States. The optimal interpregnancy interval (IPI) after stillbirth is unclear. Currently, many organizations recommend IPIs greater than 18 months due to findings that, after live birth, a short IPI is associated with increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), and, sometimes, stillbirth. But this was based largely on expert opinion and not peer reviewed data. Recently, data has been published on this very subject that may aid bereaved parents in planning for a next pregnancy. In this episode we will review the first large-scale population study on the subject (from 2019) and summarize a soon-to-be released publication from Obstetrics Gynecology (the Green Journal) examining the effect of IPI after stillbirth.