The number of stillbirths has fallen significantly in the past seven years, although the risk remains highest for older mothers, according to a report.

Findings from the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (Cemach) show there were 5.2 per 1,000 births in 2007, down from 5.7 stillborn babies per 1,000 births in 2002.

Describing the shift as a significant fall, doctors said that the greater rate of stillbirths for older women was most likely linked to antenatal complications such as hypertension and pre-eclampsia.

The report, which covers England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, shows that most areas experienced the lowest death rates for babies in their first month of life since 2000, at 3.3 per 1,000 live births.

The researchers found that women aged 30 to 34 had the lowest rate of stillbirths, at 4.7 per 1,000 births, as well as the lowest infant death rate. Women aged 40 had a stillbirth rate of 7.7 per 1,000 births.

The findings also suggest that women who are very young are more likely to have their babies die in the first month of life, at 4.4 per 1,000 live births for mothers under the age of 20.

The report’s authors concluded that trends for older and younger mothers were probably affected by accompanying medical complications. “This may reflect the fact that while teenage pregnancies and pregnancies in women greater than 40 years are both associated with preterm delivery and low birthweight, older women have a higher incidence of antenatal complications such as essential hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and placental abruption, which can all contribute to stillbirth.”

The researchers found that the overall drop in stillbirths and neonatal deaths was also occurring in twin births. Multiple births are typically more risky owing to possible complications in pregnancy and the increased chance that babies will be born prematurely. Experts from Cemach are carrying out a separate inquiry into the impact of obesity on pregnancy and birth.

The overall decrease in the number of stillbirths was credited in part to improved maternity services and greater public awareness of maternal health. However, some experts questioned the timeframe used by Cemach, saying that a sudden increase in deaths in 2002, when the comparison started, gave the impression of a steady decline when the number of stillbirths was now only slightly lower than in 1999.< that the findings were welcome but added that figures needed to be monitored further to see if the downward trend was sustained.

Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “This is good news but we must remain vigilant over the common maternal risk factors and identify women who may require extra support. The increasing number of older mothers is a trend which we will need to monitor closely since there are long-term consequences involved which impact on society and the NHS.”

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, said the 2007 stillbirth rate equated to more than 4,000 babies stillborn every year — almost one in 200. A Sands spokesman said: “We strongly believe more needs urgently to be done to make a serious impact on the unacceptable levels of stillbirth in the UK. We need better monitoring during antenatal care, more midwives with greater resources to support them and more research to improve our understanding of why so many perfectly normal babies die.”

Ann Keen, the Health Minister, said: “This report shows significant falls in the numbers of stillbirths and babies dying in the weeks immediately after birth. We will continue to work with the NHS towards decreasing these rates still further through high-quality maternity services.

“We’ve increased funding for maternity services by £330 million over the three years 2008-09 to 2010-11 and we are pleased to say there are more maternity staff than ever before.”

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