ORAL PRESENTATION Open Access Sleep position and risk of late stillbirth

Obesity is an established risk factor for stillbirth, how-ever the reason for this is not known. There are several possible mechanisms which have not previously been investigated, such as maternal and fetal hypoxia from adverse maternal sleep position or sleep disordered breathing (SDB). We hypothesised: 1. that obesity is an independent risk factor for stillbirth, 2. that after adjustment for established risk factors for stillbirth, the higher rates in Maori and Pacific Island babies are no different to that of European babies, and 3. that sleep disordered breathing is a risk factor for stillbirth, and that this (at least in part) explains the increased risk with obesity. The Auckland stillbirth study was a case control stud