Obstetrical results after embryonic reductions performed on 34 multiple pregnancies.

Thirty-four women with multiple pregnancies (three or more fetuses) underwent embryonic reduction in order to reduce abortions, premature births or fetal growth-retardation by obtention of twins. Four early abortions occurred. Thirty pregnancies reached term and out of 60 fetuses, 58 infants were born alive. Fetal death in utero of one twin occurred in two pregnancies. The mean term until delivery was 36 +/- 2.8 weeks gestation and the prematurity rate was 51.7%. Of 55 neonates, 25 were underweight within the 10th percentile and 10 out of 55 neonates were underweight below the 3rd percentile. There were three deaths in the early neonatal period. The rate of perinatal mortality was 8.3%. Fifty-four children are currently healthy and one child has a mild axial hypotonia. A reduction in prematurity was observed with a gain of 2 weeks on reported data concerning triplet pregnancies. The rate of low-birth-weight infants was high, 63.5% being underweight at birth.