BMJ  2003;327 (6 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7427.0-c

Perinatal mortality in Chinese girls is high

Perinatal mortality in rural China is higher than in other developing countries, and is higher in second children than first children, and in girls. In a retrospective cohort study Wu and colleagues (p 1319) analysed data collected by the Chinese family planning system on 3697 pregnancies. Perinatal mortality was 69 per 1000 births, and stillbirths and miscarriages were three times as common in second births than first births. The overall risk of death in the first months was twice as high for girls as for boys, mainly because of mortality in second births. This may result from the family planning policy and the preference for sons in China, the authors say.

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Perinatal mortality in rural China: retrospective cohort study

Zhuochun Wu, Kirsi Viisainen, Ying Wang, and Elina Hemminki
BMJ 2003 327: 1319. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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