Perinatal mortality in Taiwan

Information on perinatal deaths was obtained from 310 women by collecting d etailed obstetric histories dating from marriage to the start of the survey . These histories were compared to those of 688 age matched controls. Poten tial risk factors, levels and time trends of perinatal mortality in Taiwan were examined and factors underlying stillbirths and early neonatal deaths were also compared using conditional logistic regression analyses. A nearly 56% decline of the perinatal mortality rate during the 35 y, approximately , prior to the survey was observed. Risk of stillbirths was increased among those who had abused illegal drugs during pregnancy, those who reported th at the pregnancy was unwanted and those with Thalassemia trait. Body mass i ndex was log-linearly related with stillbirths, with higher body mass assoc iated with higher risk. For early neonatal deaths, those mothers aged 19 y or less, those giving birth to either their first children or to their fift h or later child, those who had their first prenatal care visit after the f irst three months of pregnancy were associated with increased risk in the l ogistic model. Those with a birth interval of less than two years and those with less education were associated with increased risk in both perinatal death groups. While some of these factors have already been associated with perinatal deaths, others have not; the new associations provide clues to m echanisms by which the risk of death increases before or after delivery.