But at least now they may not have to keep wondering what happened, and if it will happen again.
A new study says a cause can be found three-quarters of the time, if a full evaluation is done after the birth.
Doctors who studied stillbirths at 59 U-S hospitals found some prime causes.
Dr. Robert Silver, the lead author on the study, says, "Obstetric complications - things like pre-term labor and abruption accounted for a major proportion of the cases of stillbirth. In addition, placental abnormalities also accounted for a major proportion of cases."
The research, which is reported in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, also found that African-Americans are 2 and a half times more likely to have a stillbirth than those who are white or Hispanic.
But doctors still aren't sure what's causing the .
They say an evaluation is important, to help couples have successful pregnancies in the future.
Dr. Silver is an obstetrician at the University of Utah Medical Center.
