temporal trends of stillbirth in brazil disaggregated by maternal and gestational age

Objective: stillbirth is a neglected problem that needs to be given a greater visibility, especially in developing countries. this study aimed to describe temporal trends of stillbirth rates disaggregated by maternal and gestational age. materials and methods: this is an ecological study conducted in brazil. stillbirth rates and temporal trends were calculated using data from 2011-2021, considering variables such as gestational age (≥ 22 weeks) and maternal age (10-19, 20-34, and ≥ 35 years old). stillbirth rates were presented per 1,000 births, and trends were assessed via autoregressive models.results: there were 228,386 stillbirths in brazil, corresponding to 1 event per 133 live births at ≥ 22 gestational weeks in singleton pregnancies. at ≥28 weeks, the average stillbirth rates were 139.46 per 1,000 births (28-31 weeks), 36.59 per 1,000 births (28-36 weeks), 6.07 per 1,000 births (28-41 weeks), and 5.94 per 1,000 births (28-42 weeks and more). data disaggregation by maternal age showed that average stillbirth rates were 7.69 per 1,000 births (mothers aged 10-19 years), 6.90 per 1,000 births (mothers aged 20-34 years), and 10.34 per 1,000 births (mothers aged ≥ 35 years). the temporal trends showed statistically significant increase in stillbirth rates in almost all gestational age strata among adolescent mothers, but not among older women. conclusion: older women experienced the highest stillbirth rates in brazil but with a clear declining trend. the upward stillbirth trends revealed among adolescent mothers suggest that the fetal death prevention must be prioritized in the brazilian adolescent health policy agenda.