“Risks and Precautions for Twin Pregnancy – Expert Advice and Recommendations”

To understand the main risks of multiple pregnancy and know what precautions should be taken, the g1 spoke with Janete Vettorazzi, member of Febrasgo and professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), and with Paulo Nasser, director of the Institute of Studies in Health Technology and medical director of the Association of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the State of Rio de Janeiro ( Sgorj).

▶️ Understand, below, in this report:

“Every twin pregnancy is at risk”, says physician Janete Vettorazzi. There is, however, no reason to panic.

Both she and the obstetrician Paulo Nasser advise that, as soon as the pregnancy of two or more babies is confirmed, the pregnant woman should seek a specialized team who will know how to advise on the performance of exams and how to carry out the appropriate follow-up.

It is worth mentioning that the protocol for a multiple pregnancy is different from a single baby pregnancy. In the first case, the routine foresees a higher frequency of ultrasounds, different times for performing ultrasounds and an even greater need for multidisciplinary follow-up (obstetrician, radiologist and nutritionist, among others).

The first information that the medical team looks for about twins is in relation to the number of placentas, amniotic sacs and fetuses. This can be discovered with an ultrasound scan.

The experts clarify:

The gestational risk cited by her refers to both the fetuses and the mother herself.

For women pregnant with multiples, some gestational risks are even greater. You need to be aware of complications such as:

Experts also clarify that, in general, a pregnant woman gains an average of 12 kilos during pregnancy. In the case of a pregnant woman with twins, for example, she should gain an average of 18 kilos, not 24 kilos. It does not mean that weight doubles, and obesity increases the risk of pregnancy complications.

“Prematurity goes hand in hand with twins”, analyzes the doctor Janete. Febrasgo informs that more than half of twins are born before 37 weeks of gestation.

But each expectant mother will have a different diagnosis and indications about the duration of pregnancy. For this, doctors take into account the type of twins, the growth curve, the number of pouches and several other individual characteristics of the mother.

Paulo Nasser comments that premature babies are those born before 37 weeks of gestation. Those born before 28 weeks are considered extremely prematurity.

He explains that in cases of monochorionic pregnancies, the pregnant woman can reach up to 37 weeks. As for dichorionic pregnancies, there are pregnant women who manage to give birth at 39 weeks.

Regarding the type of delivery, normal or cesarean, it will depend a lot on each pregnancy. The obstetrician warns that it is possible to have a normal delivery in dichorionic twin pregnant women, for example.

The doctors heard by g1 recommend: