Twin pregnancy in Singapore

Abstract

Two hundred and thirty four cases of twin pregnancy seen between January, 1970, and December, 1972, were analysed. The incidence of twin pregnancy was 1 in 133 pregnancies and occurred proportionately in Chinese, Malays, and Indians according to population numbers. Parity did not significantly affect the incidence of twin pregnancy. Common antenatal complications included anaemia, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and haemorrhage. Hospitalised bed rest did not significantly alter the perinatal mortality. Premature labour occurred in 20% of patients and only 10.8% went beyond 40 weeks of gestation. The incidence of depressed second twin increased slightly after a time interval of more than 10 minutes between the delivery of the first twin and the second twin, but increased significantly when when the time interval was more than 30 minutes. The first twin tended to be larger than the second twin. The sex ratio was 100 females to 134.5 males. The overall perinatal mortality was 76.4 per 1,000, with a perinatal mortality of 64.4 per 1,000 for the first twin and 93.6 per 1,000 for the second twin.