Desire for male child triggering stillbirths in country: Study

MUMBAI: The desire of Indians to have male progeny could be triggering stillbirths in the country, researchers from Delhi have found. Last year, an estimated 5 lakh babies were born with absolutely no signs of life at or after 28 weeks of gestation— the highest case burden reported from any country, according to a study published in Lancet, an international scientific journal last month.

In another study released in January, scientists from Public Health Foundation of India found that one out of every five mothers who consumed illegal selection drugs had a stillbirth. “These indigenously prepared drugs are routinely given to pregnant women so the gender of the child in the womb can be male. These drugs are known to be high in testosterone and some may also contain steroids which could be harming the foetus,” said Dr Sutapa Neogi, author of the study which was published in the Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology journal.

The study was conducted in Haryana which made headlines recently for crossing the 900 mark of sex ratio at birth. Haryana has the lowest sex ratio in the country, which the government claims has improved after the launch of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

In many hinterlands including Haryana, the preference for having a male child has not only imbalanced the sex ratio but also harmed the mother and unborn child’s health. The same group of researchers has found that these drugs were inducing birth defects in children. Their latest study has established that women who consume these drugs during their pregnancy had a higher risk of having a stillbirth.

Public health expert said that most developing countries have reduced stillbirths by improving access to care for pregnant women, foetal monitoring and by performing timely caesarean sections. However, the incidence of stillbirth in India has not changed significantly. In 2015, the country reported 23 stillbirths per 1,000 live births.

“The incidence of stillbirth in India has not significantly improved or increased. This despite the gradual improvement in the access to healthcare,” said Dr Neelam Aggarwal Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India and co-author of the Lancet study

The population-based study was conducted in 15 districts of Haryana and around 327 women who had a stillbirth were interviewed by the researchers Of them 47 mothers who reported stillbirths said that their child had a visible birth-defect and 19% of them confessed of consuming some type of sex-selection drugs (SSD). “These drugs are consumed three to eight weeks after conception which is a very critical period for development of the foetus. The ingredients of these drugs trigger birth defects resulting in still births,” said Dr Rakesh Gupta, co-author of the study. Researchers said that intake of herbs during pregnancy has been associated with foetal malformations in a large study conducted in Taiwan. A study from Malaysia also established that herbs taken during the pregnancy can lead to still-births

Apart from establishing the association between SSD and still-births, the study found that in 20% of still births the mother had developed some complication during pregnancy.

These drugs are routinely given to pregnant women so the gender of the child in the womb can be male. These drugs are known to be high in testosterone and some may also contain steroids which could be harming the foetus DR SUTAPA NEOGI author of the study