PLoS ONE (Jan 2020)

The risk of preterm birth in vanishing twin: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

  • Ji Su Seong,
  • You Jung Han,
  • Min Hyoung Kim,
  • Jae-Yoon Shim,
  • Mi-Young Lee,
  • Soo-Young Oh,
  • Joon Ho Lee,
  • Soo Hyun Kim,
  • Dong Hyun Cha,
  • Geum Joon Cho,
  • Han-Sung Kwon,
  • Byoung Jae Kim,
  • Mi Hye Park,
  • Hee Young Cho,
  • Hyun Sun Ko,
  • Chan-Wook Park,
  • Joong Shin Park,
  • Jong Kwan Jun,
  • Hyun Mee Ryu,
  • Seung Mi Lee

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233097
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 5
p. e0233097

Abstract

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OBJECTIVE:To evaluate not only the risk of total preterm birth (PTB) but also spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) and indicated preterm birth (iPTB) in vanishing twin (VT). STUDY DESIGN:This is a secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort study. In 12 different healthcare institutions, women with singleton pregnancies were enrolled in early pregnancy and followed up till delivery. RESULTS:A total of 4,746 women were included in the final analysis, and. the frequency of VT was 1.1% (54/4746). VT group had a higher risk for total PTB (PTB<34 weeks, 2.1% vs. 14.8%, p<0.001; PTB<32 weeks, 1.6% vs. 13.0%, p<0.001; PTB<28 weeks, 0.9% vs. 13.0%, p<0.001) than singleton group. The VT group had increased risk for both sPTB and iPTB (<34 weeks, <32 weeks, and <28 weeks), and this increased risk for sPTB and iPTB in VT group remained significant even after controlling for confounders such as maternal age, parity, pre-pregnancy BMI, and mode of conception. CONCLUSION:Vanishing twin can be an independent risk factor for both sPTB and iPTB when compared with singleton pregnancy.