Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network Study

Population-based case–control study of the causes and extent of stillbirth (SB) in the United States. Participants were recruited at delivery between March 2006 and September 2008 from 59 urban and rural hospitals in 5 geographic areas. All women with SB and a representative sample of women with live births, oversampled for those delivering at <32 weeks gestation and those of African descent delivering at =32 weeks gestation, were approached for enrollment. Pregnancy terminations were excluded. The study included maternal interview, chart abstraction, placental exam, and postmortem (SB only). Data collection focused on surveillance and epidemiology, maternal disease, immunology and infections, placental pathology, and genetics. A subset of SCRN participants consented to re-contact which examined subsequent pregnancies and pregnancy complications, grief resolution, and whether life-course stresses and environmental factors were associated with an increased risk of SB. Biospecimens are available.