Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. : Overview tab,  It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term is in contrast to miscarriage, which is an early pregnancy loss, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, where the baby dies a short time after being born alive.Often the cause is unknown. Causes may include pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and birth complications, problems with the placenta or umbilical cord, birth defects, infections such as malaria and syphilis, and poor health in the mother. : Causes tab,  Risk factors include a mothers age over 35, smoking, drug use, use of assisted reproductive technology, and first pregnancy. Stillbirth may be suspected when no fetal movement is felt. Confirmation is by ultrasound.Worldwide prevention of most stillbirths is possible with improved health systems. : Overview tab,  Around half of stillbirths occur during childbirth, with this being more common in the developing than developed world. : Info panel,  Otherwise, depending on how far along the pregnancy is, medications may be used to start labor or a type of surgery known as dilation and evacuation may be carried out. Following a stillbirth, people are at higher risk of another one; however, most subsequent pregnancies do not have similar problems.
The continuous release of free hemoglobin has been linked with the development of pulmonary hypertension (increased pressure over the pulmonary artery); this, in turn, leads to episodes of syncope (fainting), chest pain, and progressive breathlessness. Pulmonary hypertension eventually causes right ventricular heart failure, the symptoms of which are peripheral edema (fluid accumulation in the skin of the legs) and ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity). Causes
They may be classified according to the means of hemolysis, being either intrinsic in cases where the cause is related to the red blood cell (RBC) itself, or extrinsic in cases where factors external to the RBC dominate. Intrinsic effects may include problems with RBC proteins or oxidative stress handling, whereas external factors include immune attack and microvascular angiopathies (RBCs are mechanically damaged in circulation). Intrinsic causes
Hereditary (inherited) hemolytic anemia can be due to :

Defects of red blood cell membrane production (as in hereditary spherocytosis and hereditary elliptocytosis). Defects in hemoglobin production (as in thalassemia, sickle-cell disease and congenital dyserythropoietic anemia). Defective red cell metabolism (as in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and pyruvate kinase deficiency). Wilsons disease may infrequently present with hemolytic anemia without due to excessive inorganic copper in blood circulation, which destroys red blood cells (though the mechanism of hemolysis is still unclear). Extrinsic causes
Acquired hemolytic anemia may be caused by immune-mediated causes, drugs, and other miscellaneous causes.