What qualifies as "Spontaneous fetal death"?

"Spontaneous fetal death" refers specifically to the death of a fetus that occurs before the fetus has been expelled from the mother's body and without any signs of life. This typically means that the fetus died in utero, which aligns with the definition of option B. The term specifically indicates that there was no life evidence present at the time of expulsion, and it distinguishes this situation from deaths occurring after birth or as a result of intentional termination.

Recognizing this definition is crucial in understanding fetal death classifications, as it helps differentiate between cases of natural fetal loss due to various medical or genetic causes and other circumstances that involve the fetus being alive at birth or intentionally terminated. Other options relate to different circumstances: a death occurring after a live birth pertains to infant mortality, termination at a mother’s request indicates an elective abortion, and death resulting from complications during birth typically involves situational factors affecting birthing, none of which fit the specific criteria for spontaneous fetal death.