Multiple Pregnancy – a Maternal and Perinatal Challenge

Abstract

The increased incidence of multiple pregnancies in the last 3 decades is related to the development of human-assisted reproduction techniques. The main causes of the increased mortality and morbidity in multiple pregnancies are prematurity and low birth weight, therefore being considered a high-risk pregnancy. The purpose of the current study was to determine the correlations between multiple factors that influence or are the consequence of multiple pregnancies. The main goal was to improve the management and healthcare during multiple pregnancies. The retrospective study was performed at the Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology “Dr. I. A. Sbarcea” Brasov on 418 patients diagnosed with multiple pregnancies from January 2010 to December 2016. It has been found that the majority of births (66.51%) were premature and took place between 24 and 37 weeks of gestation. Cesarean section was the most common way of birth with 72.73% of the total number of multiple pregnancies. This study concludes that multiple pregnancies are an issue in Romanian hospitals due to the maternal and fetal complications that can occur during pregnancy or labor. The maternal and neonatal outcomes may be improved through detection of the high-risk cases and frequent antenatal visits