RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To identify the sociodemographics, obstetrical and perinatology factors of risk most frequently associated to fetal death in greater pregnancies of 27 weeks. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 2001 to May 2005, in the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara Dr Juan I. Menchaca, we carried out a study of cases and controls with 450 cases of fetal death of more than 27 weeks of gestation and 450 newborn alive whose birth happened immediately later. We compared the frequency of different maternal and fetal variables that in previous forms was associated with fetal death, by means of Chi squared test and exact test of Fisher, the association among these variables and fetal death with the reason of momios was considered. In all the cases the chosen interval of confidence was of 95%. RESULTS: The risk factors associated with fetal death were: maternal age over 35 years, low schooling, multiparity, antecedent of abortion and fetal death, deficient prenatal care, complications in the pregnancy, abnormal amniotic fluid, double circular of umbilical cord to neck of the product and great congenital malformations of newborn. It was not associated with fetal death, the single marital status, primigesta, smoking, male sex of the fetus, simple circulate of umbilical cord to the neck and fetal macrosomia. CONCLUSIONS: Of the risk factors associated with fetal death, the main one is a deficient prenatal care, that of being improved, might diminish the association of some other variables that were associated with fetal death.