International Stillbirth Alliance

A Stillbirth is the death of an unborn baby. In most cases the baby died prior to labor, but many die during labor and birth, in particular in developing countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that among births of babies weighing more than 1000 grams, more than 3.2 million stillbirths occur each year worldwide - 98% occurring in developing countries. Many countries have different definitions of stillbirth, but the WHO defines a stillbirth as the birth of a deceased a baby weighing more than 500 grams, or after 22 weeks of pregnancy. No numbers of the total number of stillbirths globally exist. In developed countries, one in 100-200 babies born are stillborn as many as one of every thirty babies are stillborn in developing countries... Many of these deaths are avoidable.

The International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of member organisations and individual supporters which works towards evidence based strategies for stillbirth prevention and bereavement care world wide and promotes and supports high quality stillbirth research.

Both for the ultimate goal of stillbirth prevention, as well as to provide better care for those affected, ISA sees a need for a wide range of research. Basic research in the physiology of pregnancy and labor, understanding disease mechanisms in the many different causes of stillbirths, the genetic susceptibilities, environment, understanding effective prenatal care, maternal risk factors, socioeconomic disparities, psychosocial care and bereavement – and many more. All will provide keys to stillbirth prevention and improved care for affected families.

A global collaboration is required to reduce stillbirths, which includes the sharing of perinatal audit protocols, bereavement support and prevention strategies. ISA provides a forum for collaboration in stillbirth research, including international workshops and an annual international stillbirth conference.

The highest quality research will be futile in saving babies lives, if it is not implemented and known and implemented in maternal health care. ISA works to make results of stillbirth research known, and in particular to facilitate the diffusion of knowledge. ISA provides scholarships for professionals from developing countries for attendance at the international stillbirth conference.

ISA is a not-for-profit organization recognized in the US as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3).