Why do we need this research?
In all too many cases, there is no obvious explanation as to why a baby was stillborn. These deaths remain ‘unexplained’, which can be very hard for grieving parents who want to know why their baby died.
One of the ways that pathologists investigate the cause of stillbirth is by looking at the placenta under a microscope. However, it is possible that some important changes could be missed when looking at the placenta in this way, meaning that even after an investigation, the parents may still have no explanation for their baby’s death
What’s happening in this project?
Our researchers are using new techniques to study the placentas of babies who are stillborn. They hope this will reveal new information about the placenta, which could give more parents the answers they need about why their baby died.
The team have already developed a new way of studying the placenta where computer software is used to analyse the microscopic images, revealing patterns that are not obvious to the human eye. The researchers are now using this technique to analyse 105 placentas from pregnancies that ended in stillbirth; 60 where the cause of stillbirth is known and 45 from cases of unexplained stillbirth. By studying the first 60 placentas under the microscope and using the computer software to analyse the images, our scientists want to identify changes that are associated with different causes of death. The team will then look at the placentas where the cause of stillbirth has not been explained to see if the same changes are present in them.
What difference will this project make?
By using cutting-edge techniques to study the placenta after stillbirth, more parents may be able to get an explanation as to why their baby died. This research will also help scientists understand stillbirth better and will help them develop new ways of preventing it from happening.
