Multiple Gestations Are Associated with Adverse Outcomes for the Mother

Abstract

To investigate whether women pregnant with more than one child have a higher risk of adverse maternal outcomes than women with singleton gestations data were collected from the Perinatal Information System in Montevideo Uruguay. Of the 885338 sample of pregnancies 15484 were multiple gestations. The researchers estimated the relative risk of adverse maternal outcomes associated with multiple gestations and adjusted these estimates for maternal age number of previous births education smoking height pregnancy weight and body mass index history of high blood pressure the trimester in which the mother began prenatal care visits geographic area hospital type and year of delivery. Findings revealed that multiple gestations were more common among women who were older had given birth before had a higher body mass index prior to pregnancy and had a family history of multiple gestations. Also several adverse outcomes were significantly more common among women with multiple gestations. Women pregnant with more than one child were 4 times more likely than women pregnant with one child to experience preterm labor 3 times more likely to experience eclampsia and cesarean delivery and twice as likely to experience preeclampsia anemia postpartum hemorrhage and infection. Therefore multiple gestations should be included among risk factors for maternal mortality and programs should be designed for women in this condition.