The Prevalence and Complications of Multifetal Deliveries in Omalbanin Women Hospital in Mashhad

Recently multifetal deliveries have increased because of the widespread use of induction ovulation drugs and reproductive technologies used in the treatment of infertility. Multiple pregnancies are accompanied by high risk for both mothers and neonates. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of multiple pregnancies and associated complications for mothers and their neonates during a 6-year period.Methods and Materials: This is a descriptive prospective and retrospective study done in Omalbanin Hospital affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences during 2003-2008. For 3 years of this period the archived files of the women referred to the hospital for delivery were evaluated for the required data. And for the other 3 years the women were evaluated prospectively. The women with multiple pregnancies and their neonates were followed up for 3-7 days. The collected data were coded and analyzed by using SPSS software version 13 and X2 test. Out of the 23360 deliveries conducted in the 6-year period, 99.1% were singletons, 0.87% was twins and 0.025 % were triplets. The prevalence of twin and triplet pregnancies was 8.7 and 0.25 per 1000 live births. The most common age group of the mothers was 20-29 years and the youngest age group was 15-19 years. Multiple deliveries were rarely observed in women older than 29 years and also in multiparous women. Overall 69.4% of mothers suffered from various types of complications of pregnancy. Fetal and neonatal complications were observed in 70%. There were direct relationships between multiple pregnancies and age of mothers and also weight of neonates. The most common complications in mothers and newborns were preterm labor and prematurity. Multiple pregnancies are accompanied by high risk for both mothers and newborns. Physicians should prescribe induction ovulation drugs with caution and should watch mothers with multiple fetuses closely during the pregnancy and labor period.