Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T05:03:27.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Determinants of Birthweight of Twins

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Ian MacGillivray
Ian MacGillivray*
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The low birthweight of twins compared with singletons is only slightly influenced by the higher congenital abnormality rate in twins, or the increased incidence of proteinuric pre-eclampsia in the mothers. Reduced intakes of energy food or of zinc, copper, and iron do not account for the lower birthweight. The main cause of low birthweight is preterm delivery, and this is more common in monozygotic than dizygotic twin pregnancies, due particularly to premature rupture of the membranes. The type of placentation did not influence the preterm onset of labor. Preterm labor in monozygotic twin pregnancies is associated with a very high boy:girl ratio, but this did not apply in dizygotic twin pregnancies.

Keywords

BirthweightMalnutritionPreterm laborTwin placentationZygosity
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , April 1983 , pp. 151 - 157
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1983

References

REFERENCES

1.Bastiaanse, MA van B, Mastboom, JL (1950): Ischaemia of the gravid uterus as a probable factor in the causation of toxaemia. In Hammond, J, Browne, FJ, Wolstenholme, GEW (eds): “Toxaemias of Pregnancy, Human and Veterinary.” Philadelphia: Blakiston, p 182.Google Scholar
2.Brosens, I, Dixon, HG, Robertson, WB (1977): Fetal growth retardation and the arteries of the placental bed. B J Obstet Gynaecol 84:656.Google Scholar
3.Campbell, DM, MacGillivray, I, Tuttle, S (1982): Maternal nutrition in twin pregnancy. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 31:221–227.Google Scholar
4.Campbell-Brown, MB, Campbell, DM, MacGillivray, I (1983): Protein energy supplements in primigravid women at risk of low birthweight. In: “Nutrition in Pregnancy (Based on the 10th College Study Group).” Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London: 03.Google Scholar
5.Corney, G, MacGillivray, I, Campbell, DM, Thompson, B, Little, J (1983): Congenital anomalies in twins in Aberdeen and North East Scotland. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 32:31–35.Google Scholar
6.Dunn, PM (1965): Some perinatal observations on twins. Dev Med Child Neurol 7:121.Google Scholar
7.Hall, MH, Carr-Hill, R (1982): Impact of sex ratio on onset and management of labor. Br Med J 285:401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Howie, PW (1982): Causes of intrauterine growth retardation. (Editorial). B Med J 285:156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.MacGillivray, I, Campbell, DM, Jandial, L (1981): The effect of pregnancy hypertension on fetal growth. In Van Assche, FA, Robertson, WB (eds): “Fetal Growth Retardation.” Edinburgh, London, Melbourne and New York: Churchill Livingstone, p 139.Google Scholar
10.Myrianthopoulos, NC (1978): Congenital malformations: The contribution of twin studies. BD:OAS: XIV (6A), 151.Google Scholar
11.Sheppard, BL, Bonnar, J (1976): The ultrastructure of the arterial supply of the human placenta in early and late pregnancy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 83:948.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Stein, Z, Susser, M, Rush, D (1978): Prenatal nutrition and birthweight: Experiments and quasi experiments in the past decade. J Reprod Med 21:287.Google ScholarPubMed