Alexander J M, Hammond K R, Steinkampf M P
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35233-7333, USA.
Fertil Steril. 1995 Dec;64(6):1201-3. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)57985-0.
To compare the obstetric outcomes of twin pregnancies obtained as a result of multifetal pregnancy reduction to those in which pregnancy reduction had not been used.
Retrospective analysis.
University-based tertiary care infertility clinic.
Seventy-four twin pregnancies continuing beyond 10 weeks. Of these, 32 gestations had undergone reduction to twins at 10 weeks.
Gestational age at delivery, birth weights, pregnancy complications.
All pregnancies advanced beyond 20 weeks gestation. The mean gestational age at delivery of the reduction group was 33.8 versus 35.7 weeks in the nonreduced group; only 25% of reduced pregnancies reached 37 weeks compared with 57.9% of nonreduced twins. The mean fetal birth weights of the two groups differed significantly (reduced: 2,038 g, nonreduced: 2512 g). The gestational age at delivery in patients reduced from triplets was significantly greater than in pregnancies reduced from quadruplets or higher. Multiple regression analysis revealed that for a given gestational age at delivery, a history of pregnancy reduction was associated with decreased birth weight.
These data suggest that multifetal pregnancy reduction does not reverse completely the decreased gestational age and impaired fetal growth associated with high-order multiple pregnancy. Furthermore, fetal growth of reduced pregnancies seems to be impaired independent of the gestational age at which delivery occurs.
