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Reducing Stillbirths: Prevention And Management Of Medical Disorders And Infections During Pregnancy., Esme V Menezes, Mohammad Yawar Yakoob, Tanya Soomro, Rachel A Haws, Gary L Darmstadt, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Woman and Child Health

Background:An estimated two-thirds of the world's 3.2 million stillbirths occur antenatally, prior to labour, and are often overlooked in policy and programs. Poorly recognised, untreated or inadequately treated maternal infections such as syphilis and malaria, and maternal conditions including hypertensive disorders, are known risk factors for stillbirth.

Methods:

We undertook a systematic review of the evidence for 16 antenatal interventions with the potential to prevent stillbirths. We searched a range of sources including PubMed and the Cochrane Library. For interventions with prior Cochrane reviews, we conducted additional meta-analyses including eligible newer randomised controlled trials following the Cochrane protocol. We …