Every parent’s nightmare: pregnancy advances and suddenly the little heart stops beating. In 2021, 3,420 families met the fate of a stillbirth – an unusually high number.
Why did so many babies die in the second year of the pandemic? Doctors are puzzled by this, but they have a hunch.
7.5 percent increase
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 3,180 in Germany in 2019. In 2021, the number rose to 3,420 children: a sudden increase of 7.5%.
In the case of stillbirth, the deceased child weighed at least 500 grams or was already 24 weeks pregnant.
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Riddles about the causes
Doctors and medical professionals are concerned about the increase, but have not yet been able to clearly identify the causes.
Wolf Lütje, President of the “German Society of Gynecology and Psychosomatic Obstetrics” (DGPFG) cites possible causes:
The Corona connection seems plausible.
An international study published in the “Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine” in 2022 showed how a corona infection in the mother can lead to the death of the fetus in a very short period.
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More stillbirths after Corona
The corona virus attacks the placenta, which supplies the fetus with oxygen and nutrients. If the placenta fails to function because of the infestation, fatal failure occurs.
Every third woman has a miscarriage “I was bleeding in bed and I was supposed to work”
Source: BILD/Marie Sophie Horstmann 03/31/2023