Gm. Buck et al., RACIAL VARIATION IN SPONTANEOUS FETAL DEATHS AT 20 WEEKS OR OLDER IN UPSTATE NEW-YORK, 1980-86, Public health reports, 110(5), 1995, pp. 587-592
THE DISTRIBUTION OF spontaneous fetal deaths (at age 20 weeks or more)
by maternal race has received considerably less study than other adve
rse pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this study was twofold-(a) to d
escribe spontaneous fetal deaths among white, black, and American Indi
an women and (b) to determine if there was any variation by Internatio
nal Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) cause of death,
gestational age at death, or maternal age at loss among these groups
of mothers. Using the fetal death certificate registry maintained by t
he New York State Department of Health, 8,592 spontaneous fetal deaths
at age 20 weeks or more were identified among upstate (exclusive of N
ew York City) mothers between 1980 and 1986. By race it was 7,300 for
white women, 1,257 for black women, and 27 for American Indian women.
Spontaneous fetal death rates varied by maternal race as listed on vit
al records-black, 13.5 per 1,000 total births, white, 8.3, and America
n Indian, 8.1. The three leading causes of death (ICD-9 779, 762, and
761) did not vary by maternal race. Gestational age at death, imputed
from last menstrual period, did vary by maternal race. Fetal deaths to
white and black mothers were observed to occur most often between 24
weeks of pregnancy (39 percent) and 32 weeks (43 percent), while Ameri
can Indian fetal deaths generally occurred later (more than 33 weeks)
in pregnancy (41 percent). Most spontaneous fetal deaths occurred to m
others ages 20-29 regardless of race. Black teenage mothers, however,
experienced the largest proportion of losses (23 percent) compared wit
h white (10 percent) and American Indian (11 percent) teenage mothers.