The hospital stillbirth rate reached 8.9 per 1,000 children born, returning to the level of previous years (between 8.8 and 8.9 per 1,000 from 2014 to 2018).
- The perinatal period refers to the period preceding and following a birth.
- Stillbirths are stillbirths or deaths after six months of pregnancy.
- Medical terminations of pregnancy are carried out when the health of the mother or her baby is threatened.
What is the state of health of mothers and their babies in France? This is the question that attempts to answer investigation on perinatal health indicators published on Wednesday 27 April by the Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics Department (DRESS). Based on the analysis of data collected in hospitals in 2020, it updates the indicators on perinatal health.
Fewer births
The first observation is that of a drop in the number of births in France. In 2019, 715,485 births took place in metropolitan France compared to 698,895 a year later. These figures do not include home births not followed by immediate hospitalization. The same drop is observed in the DROMs, where there were 37,972 births in 2020, or 1,052 less than the previous year. In total, in 2020, 736,867 children were born throughout the country.
A rise in the stillbirth rate
For France as a whole, the hospital stillbirth rate stands at 8.9 per 1,000 children born, returning to the level of previous years (between 8.8 and 8.9 per 1,000 from 2014 to 2018), after a temporary drop in 2019, where it stood at 8.5. This rate is not the same throughout the territory: it varies between varies between 7.5 and 9.4 per 1000 for metropolitan France. It is higher in the DROMs, where it is approximately 14.5 per 1000, except in Reunion where it is close to metropolitan rates (9.3 per 1000). Stillbirths are more induced, that is to say linked to a medical termination of pregnancy, than spontaneous: in the first case, its rate of 5.4 per 1000, against 3.5 per 1000 in the second. “The risk of spontaneous stillbirth is greater at the extreme ages of the mother and is three times higher in the case of a multiple pregnancy.specifies the DRESS.
The age of mothers is decreasing in metropolitan France: in 2016, 5.1% of mothers were over 40, compared to 4.8% in 2020. In the DROMs, the rate is 5.4% in 2020. On the other hand, in the overseas departments and regions, the proportion of young mothers, i.e. under the age of 20, is increasing significantly: it was 8.1% in 2020, compared to 6% in 2016. metropolitan areas, it fell by 0.3 points over the period.
A decrease in prematurity
In 2020, prematurity stood at 6.6% in mainland France and 9.5% in the overseas departments and regions, i.e. respective decreases of 0.3 and 0.5 points, compared to last year. The DRESS report specifies that regardless of the geographical area, prematurity particularly concerns multiple pregnancies: in one out of two cases, they lead to premature delivery.
