Males More Likely To Die From Stillbirth

Males are more likely to die from stillbirth than females, according to recent findings published in the journal BMC Medicine.

"The numbers speak for themselves - the disparity between male and female stillbirth is startling. Stillbirth is a common occurrence, even in rich countries with good healthcare systems: every day, eleven babies are stillborn in the UK," said Dr. Fiona Mathews from the University of Exeter, in a news release. "Uncovering why male babies are at higher risk could be a first step towards developing new approaches to prevention, including sex-specific management of high-risk pregnancies."

For the study, researchers analyzed over 30 million births worldwide, calculating the rate of stillbirths. They found that the rate was 10 percent higher in boys than girls.

The issue was higher across the board, for the exception of the countries China and India, where stillbirth rates were the same for boys and girls and higher in general.

Though researchers were unable to identify why boys are more likely to die in the womb than girls, they believe it could be partially due to development and certain environmental factors.

Health officials continue to work to reduce the risk of stillborn births by examining certain factors that could contribute to an increased risk of the health issue--including the mother's height, weight and ethnicity.

Currently, doctors reduce risk of stillbirth by using an early warning system that takes the mother's height, weight and ethnicity and uses the information to predict the size of the unborn fetus.