Canberra: Researchers in Australia have uncovered a biological process that could explain some stillbirths and pave the way for early detection and prevention.

The study reveals that the placenta, the vital lifeline between mother and baby, can age too quickly during pregnancy, compromising its ability to nourish the baby and increasing the risk of stillbirth, a media release from Australia's Flinders University said on Monday.

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The team, led by Flinders University researchers, discovered that molecules called circular RNAs, which normally accumulate in ageing tissue, build up in the placenta far earlier than expected in cases of stillbirth, causing breaks and triggering cellular ageing, it said.

This premature ageing reduces the placenta's capacity to support the growing baby, raising the risk of stillbirth, according to the study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, reports Xinhua news agency.

The team found that in stillbirth cases, the placenta appeared biologically older than expected for its gestational age, showing damaged DNA, worn cell structures, and high levels of circular RNAs, said lead author Anya Arthurs from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute.

"When we reduced one of these molecules in placental cells, the damage slowed, and ageing was delayed, showing these molecules aren't just bystanders, but active drivers of the process," Arthurs said, adding some of these circular RNAs can be measured in maternal blood as early as 15 to 16 weeks into pregnancy, suggesting potential for an early screening test.

Stillbirth affects about two million pregnancies worldwide each year, yet prevention has stalled as molecular placental ageing remains invisible under a microscope, the researchers said.

They said the findings could lead to new screening tools to prevent stillbirth and offer broader insights into how ageing processes, including those linked to diseases like Alzheimer's, affect human health.