Factors Influencing the Neonatal Outcomes in Twin Pregnancies Undergoing Cesarean Section: a Cross-sectional Study

While the frequency of multiple pregnancies varies significantly among societies and individuals, especially in middle and high-income countries, the rate of multiple pregnancies has shown a significant rise worldwide in recent years, with the frequent use of assisted reproductive techniques, which has increased due to an increase in maternal age and a decrease in fertility. As a result, multiple pregnancies constitute approximately 2-4% of all births.

Multiple pregnancies are known to be associated with increased maternal and fetal risks compared to singleton pregnancies. While maternal mortality associated with a twin pregnancy is 2.5 times higher than in singleton pregnancy, adverse neonatal outcomes such as perinatal mortality, fetal growth restriction, and low birth weight are two to three times higher in twins than in singleton newborns. Moreover, neonatal near-miss, which refers to cases that almost resulted in death, is associated with multiple pregnancies.

For all these reasons, the planned cesarean section has been advocated over planned vaginal delivery to reduce the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes (especially for the second-born twin). However, cesarean delivery is known to be associated with a higher risk of maternal morbidity and poor neonatal outcomes. The vast majority of these risks are related to maternal hypotension, prolonged uterine-incision-to-delivery time, and general anesthesia. From this perspective, we aimed to evaluate maternal and fetal characteristics and factors affecting fetal outcomes in twin pregnancies delivered by cesarean section.