Toronto, March 4 -- According to a study, obesity raises the risk of stillbirth as a pregnancy approaches full term.

The study's conclusions were released in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, or CMAJ.

In Canada, the overall risk of stillbirth during pregnancy is roughly 0.4%. "Our findings suggest that an earlier delivery date may help reduce the risk of stillbirth for pregnant people with obesity," says lead author Dr. Naila Ramji, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University and high-risk pregnancy specialist in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Senior author Dr. Laura Gaudet, an associate professor at Queen's University and high-risk pregnancy specialist, and coauthors at The Ottawa Hospital round out the group.

Although the lin...