Recurrence risk of preterm birth in subsequent singleton pregnancy after preterm twin delivery

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the recurrence risk of preterm birth (<37 weeks' gestation) in a subsequent singleton pregnancy after a previous nulliparous preterm twin delivery.

Study design: We included 1957 women who delivered a twin gestation and a subsequent singleton pregnancy from the Netherlands Perinatal Registry. We compared the outcome of subsequent singleton pregnancy of women with a history of preterm delivery to the pregnancy outcome of women with a history of term twin delivery.

Results: Preterm birth in the twin pregnancy occurred in 1075 women (55%) vs 882 women (45%) who delivered at term. The risk of subsequent spontaneous singleton preterm birth was significantly higher after preterm twin delivery (5.2% vs 0.8%; odds ratio, 6.9; 95% confidence interval, 3.1-15.2).

Conclusion: Women who deliver a twin pregnancy are at greater risk for delivering prematurely in a subsequent singleton pregnancy.