Premature Labour : A Part from The Book Chapter : Preterm Birth: When is it Too Small to be Born

twin pregnancy

Approximately 50% of twin pregnancies deliver prematurely, less than 37 weeks of gestation, and this is associated with poor perinatal outcomes. The mean gestational age at delivery is 35 weeks for twins, 32 weeks for triplets and 29 weeks for quadruplets. It is likely that the more the number of the foetuses in the uterus the greater the uterine stretch hence the application of the Starling’s law of forces leading to premature labour. However, similar to singleton pregnancies, lifestyle factors, such as occupation and obesity, may increase the risk of preterm births in twin pregnancies.

Author(s) Details:

Kimera Lukanga Charles,
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, University of Namibia, Namibia.

Linda N. Lukolo,
Department of Community and Family, Medicine School of Medicine, University of Namibia, Namibia.

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