Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To compare small-for-gestational-age (SGA) twins to appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) twins regarding preterm delivery (PTD). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of maternal and neonatal records of live, nonanomalous twins ≥ 25 weeks' gestation delivered in 1984-2000 in a tertiary care center. Pregnancies (N = 679) were, divided into AGA- AGA (n = 347), SGA-AGA (n = 191) and SGA-SGA (n = 141) groups using singleton growth curves. The PTD rate was compared and logistic regression analysis was done to study factors that influenced PTD at ≤ 34 weeks. p 0.05 Was considered significant. RESULTS: The PTD rate at ≤ 34 weeks was AGA-AGA (38.6percent), SGA-AGA (14.7percent) and SGA-SGA (1.4percent) (p 0.001). On multiple logistic regression analysis, discordance significantly increased PTD (OR = 5.05, 2.47-10.31, p = 0.001), while smallness for gestational age significantly decreased PTD (OR = 0.095, 0.05-0.17, p 0.001). The PTD rate increased directly with the increase in the relative overall weight of the twins. CONCLUSION: The PTD rate is higher in AGA twins as compared to SGA twins. The PTD rate is directly related to the overall weight of the twins. © Journal of Reproductive Medicine®, Inc.