[Maternal weight gain during twin pregnancy. Its relationship to the incidence of preterm delivery].

OBJECTIVES

To determine maternal weight gain curve for twin gestation and to examine the risk of preterm birth associated with rates of weight gain (kg/week) to and from 24 weeks to delivery.

PATIENTS

This study involved analysis data collected retrospectively on a cohort of women who received prenatal care from Outpatient Department for Women in Czechów district in Lublin, from 1986 to 1998. The study sample included 39 twin pregnancies. 12 (30.8%) women delivering twins before 37 weeks.

METHODS

Gestational age was estimated from first day of last menstrual period. Information on prepregnancy weight was obtained by interview at the first prenatal visit. Weight gain was expressed in several ways: 1) For the descriptive analysis of weight gain by gestational age, the woman's pregravid weight was subtracted from the weight measured at each visit. 2) The weekly rate of weight gain was calculated by dividing the amount of weight gained between visits by the number of weeks during the time interval. Then we calculated the mean weekly rates before and after 24 weeks for each individual.

RESULTS

Weight curve in group of women pregnant with twins showed similar linear trends. In women delivering twins before 37 weeks, the rate of weekly gain to and from 24 weeks to delivery was lower (statistically nonsignificant) when compared with mothers delivering at term (0.38 versus 0.53 and 0.58 versus 0.69 kg/week, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The results suggested, that spontaneous preterm delivery was associated with lower rate of weight gain before and after 24 weeks.