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Chapter 19 - Risk Assessment and Screening for Preterm Birth in Multiple Pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2022

By
Amanda Roman ,
Alexandra Ramirez ,
Guillermo Gurza  and
Vincenzo Berghella
Edited by
Leanne Bricker ,
Julian N. Robinson  and
Baskaran Thilaganathan
Leanne Bricker
Affiliation:
Corniche Hospital, Abu Dhabi
Julian N. Robinson
Affiliation:
Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston
Baskaran Thilaganathan
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Twins represent 3% of all live birth. However, they account for 20% of all preterm deliveries, with 60% delivering before 37 weeks, and 10.7% before 32 weeks. Twin pregnancies have five times higher risk of early neonatal and infant death related to prematurity. Monochorionic twins have higher incidence of both indicated and spontaneous preterm delivery compared with dichorionic twins. Transvaginal cervical length before 24 weeks is the best tool to predict preterm birth, independent of other risk factors.

Keywords

Twin pregnancypreterm birthtransvaginal cervical length
Type
Chapter
Information
Management of Multiple Pregnancies
A Practical Guide
 , pp. 201 - 209
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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