The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic correlated with a temporary upsurge in stillbirth rates in Canada and the United States, particularly for gestational ages of 20 weeks or more, gradually reverting to pre-pandemic levels in subsequent months.

The following is a summary of “Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on stillbirths in Canada and the United States,” published in the December 2023 issue of Obstetrics and Gynaecology by Joseph et al.

This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stillbirth rates in both Canada and the United States, addressing the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic’s influence on these population rates.

A comprehensive retrospective analysis covering the period from 2015 to 2020 was conducted, encompassing all live births and stillbirths in Canada and the United States. The primary focus was on evaluating stillbirth rates concerning all instances of stillbirths and live births occurring at a gestational age of 20 weeks or beyond. A monthly analysis of stillbirth rates was conducted, with March 2020 marked the pandemic’s onset month. Interrupted time series analyses were utilized to delineate the specific effects attributed to the pandemic.

The study cohort encompassed 18,475 stillbirths and 2,244,240 live births in Canada, with corresponding figures of 134,883 stillbirths and 22,963,356 live births in the United States, equating to rates of 8.2 and 5.8 stillbirths per 1,000 total births, respectively. In Canada, the onset of the pandemic correlated with a surge in stillbirths at a gestational age of 20 weeks or more, quantified at 1.01 per 1,000 total births (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.56-1.46), along with an increase of 0.35 per 1,000 total births (95% CI 0.16-0.54) for stillbirths occurring at a gestational age of 28 weeks or beyond. Similarly, in the United States, pandemic onset was associated with an increase of 0.48 per 1,000 total births (95% CI 0.22-0.75) for stillbirths at 20 weeks or more and a rise of 0.22 per 1,000 total births (95% CI 0.12-0.32) for stillbirths at or beyond 28 weeks. Notably, the surge in stillbirth rates observed at the pandemic’s outset gradually reverted to pre-pandemic levels in subsequent months.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic correlated with a transient upsurge in stillbirth rates in Canada and the United States, highlighting a temporary impact on these rates during the pandemic’s initial stages.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1701216323007454