Stillbirth in Shanghai, China: prevalence, fetal sex disparities, and gestational age trends over a decade

Stillbirth in Shanghai, China: prevalence, fetal sex disparities, and gestational age trends over a decade | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 September 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Stillbirth in Shanghai, China: prevalence, fetal sex disparities, and gestational age trends over a decade Authors : Rui-Hong Xue 0000-0002-0366-3665 , Ying Zhang , Dan Tang , Yun-Xia Li , Juan Li , and Lin Zhang [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175768221.14236761/v1 183 views 91 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Abstract Objective To examine the prevalence, sex ratio, and gestational age distribution of stillborn disparities. Design This was a cross-sectional study. Setting A tertiary-care hospital in Shanghai, China. Population A population of 145200 pregnant women who delivered at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital between October 2014 and September 2024 was included. Methods After exclusion, 140594 pregnant women were included in the analyses. Stillbirth rates were calculated for the total population and for the sex ratio, and further analyses were conducted in gestational age subgroups (28-31 w, 32-36 w, and ≥37 w). We used the Mann‒Kendall trend test to identify the trend of stillbirth rates during the past years. Main outcome measures Risks of stillbirth in subgroups of each characteristic. Results The overall incidence of stillbirth in our hospital during the study period was 0.18% (249/140594). The observed upwards trend in the stillbirth rate from 2015 to 2023 was not statistically significant (Z=0.738; Z statistic; P value=0.461; Tau=0.229; Kendall’s tau coefficient), with no statistically significant difference noted between stillbirth rates of 51.81% (129/249) for males and 48.19% (120/249) for females (χ² = 0.325; p= 0.5684). Regardless of sex, there were significantly more stillbirths at 28–31 weeks of gestation and significantly fewer stillbirths at greater than 37 weeks of gestation (χ²=28.79 (male) and 21.05 (female), p<0.001) (chi-square goodness-of-fit test). Conclusions Our study confirms a consistently low stillbirth rate in Shanghai over the past decade, with no significant temporal increase or sex-based disparities. Critically, stillbirth risk declines significantly with advancing gestational age in late pregnancy, highlighting the need for targeted monitoring and interventions for pregnancies at 28–31 weeks or earlier to further reduce the stillbirth burden. Supplementary Material File (stillbirth-bjog.docx) Download 4.85 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 September 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords developing countries: obstetrics and gynaecology epidemiology: general obstetric maternal medicine Authors Affiliations Rui-Hong Xue 0000-0002-0366-3665 Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital View all articles by this author Ying Zhang Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital View all articles by this author Dan Tang Karamay Central Hospital of Xinjiang View all articles by this author Yun-Xia Li Karamay Central Hospital of Xinjiang View all articles by this author Juan Li Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital View all articles by this author Lin Zhang [email protected] Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 183 views 91 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Rui-Hong Xue, Ying Zhang, Dan Tang, et al. Stillbirth in Shanghai, China: prevalence, fetal sex disparities, and gestational age trends over a decade. Authorea . 12 September 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175768221.14236761/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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