Rezzan Berna TEMOÇİN, Pınar YILDIZ, Emre MAT, Beyzanur KAHYAOGLU, Gazi YILDIZ
Southern Clinics of Istanbul Eurasia - 2026;37(3):265-272
Objective: To identify independent maternal risk factors associated with term antepartum stillbirth and to evaluate incidence patterns in a tertiary referral setting. Methods: This retrospective case-control study was conducted at a tertiary referral center in Türkiye. Singleton term pregnancies between 37+0 and 41+6 weeks of gestation were included. Cases comprised 70 women with term antepartum stillbirth confirmed prior to labor onset, and 282 term live births served as controls. Maternal sociodemographic, obstetric, and clinical variables were analyzed using univariable logistic regression, followed by a prespecified multivariable model including maternal age, obesity, HDP, smoking during pregnancy, and diabetes in pregnancy. Results: The incidence of term antepartum stillbirth ranged from 2.1 to 2.7 per 1,000 term births and remained stable over time. In univariable analyses, advanced maternal age, low educational attainment, unemployment, smoking, obesity, HDP, and a history of stillbirth were associated with increased odds of term antepartum stillbirth. In the adjusted model, maternal age >=35 years (aOR 3.01; 95% CI 1.64-5.52), obesity (aOR 1.74; 95% CI 1.02-2.96), HDP (aOR 2.48; 95% CI 1.34-4.61), and smoking during pregnancy (aOR 1.86; 95% CI 1.01-3.44) remained independently associated, whereas diabetes in pregnancy was not. Small for gestational age (SGA) and placental abruption showed strong univariable associations but were excluded from multivariable models due to potential intermediary effects. Conclusions: Term antepartum stillbirth is uncommon but strongly associated with identifiable maternal risk factors, underscoring the need for individualized risk stratification in late gestation.
