LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Women who experience a stillbirth in their first pregnancy may be at higher risk for complications or adverse outcomes in their next pregnancy, a new study has said.

    A first pregnancy which resulted in stillbirth was associated with increased risk of placental diseases, fetal distress, chorioamnionitis and neonatal mortality in the second pregnancy, compared to a pregnancy that resulted in live birth, according to a study appearing online in the October issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

    The study was conducted by researchers at Kaiser Permanente, a medical institution in Los Angeles.

    The researchers examined 71,315 Kaiser Permanente Southern California members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds who delivered one child at 20-44 weeks' gestation between 1991 to 2008.

    They found that women whose first pregnancy resulted in stillbirth tended to be younger, African American and had started prenatal care later in the pregnancy, as well as having a shorter interval between the first two pregnancies.

    A stillbirth in the first pregnancy was also associated with an increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth and stillbirth in the second pregnancy, an observation that is consistent with the findings of previous studies, said Dr. Darios Getahun, the study's lead author.

    "When it comes to healthy pregnancies, it appears that early initiation of prenatal care is the key to lowering the risk of adverse outcomes in pregnancies," said Getahun.

    Early initiation and consistent treatment of hypertension, diabetes, malnutrition, bacterial infections and other pre-existing health problems before conception and during pregnancy may help reduce stillbirth incidences, he said.

    "It is also critical for the mother to take time to physically and psychologically heal from the first stillbirth before conceiving again," Getahun said.

    Each year in the United States, there are about 25,000 stillbirths, defined as the death of a fetus at greater than or equal to 20 weeks of gestation. Despite technological advances in obstetric and neonatal care, it remains one of the major causes of perinatal mortality in developed countries and even more so in developing countries.