Emory Study Looks at Connection Between Stress, Stillbirth
Emory University
If a mother is stressed during pregnancy, does that increase the likelihood of a stillbirth?
That’s what researchers from Emory University and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development wanted to examine.
For the study, they looked at some 600 stillbirths and 180 live births from across the US.
Dr. Carol Hogue led the study for Emory. She says they looked for specific stressors. 
“These could be financial, emotional, traumatic or partner-related significant life events. If they had three or more of that kind, they were at about twice the risk of stillbirth,” she says.
The team also found a racial disparity—African American women were more likely to experience such stress and were more likely to experience a stillbirth.
Hogue says one possible way to lower that number—just ask. She says health practitioners rarely inquire about a pregnant woman’s life stresses.
The study’s featured in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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