Preterm and term labour in multiple pregnancies

Sarah Stock, Jane Norman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

82 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The association between multiple pregnancy and preterm labour is well-established, with >50% of multiple births delivering before 37 weeks. However, there remains limited understanding of the factors predisposing to early delivery of twins. Physiological stimuli to the onset of parturition, including stretch, placental corticotrophin-releasing hormone and lung maturity factors, may be stronger in multiple pregnancies due to the increased fetal and placental mass. Pathological processes including infection and cervical insufficiency also have a role. Treatments that prevent preterm birth in singleton pregnancies, such as progesterone and cervical cerclage appear to be ineffective in multiple pregnancies. This article reviews aspects of preterm birth in twins and higher order multiples including epidemiology, prediction and prevention of preterm labour and potential mechanisms controlling onset of parturition. Evidence relating to the management of labour in preterm and term multiples is also discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)336-341
Number of pages6
JournalSeminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine
Volume15
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

Bibliographical note

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Keywords

  • Cervical cerclage Multifetal pregnancy Multiple pregnancy Preterm birth Preterm labour Progesterone

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