Objectives: To study the recent trends in maternal and perinatal outcomes of triplet pregnancy from a perinatal centre in South India.
Methods: All triplet pregnancies booked at Fernandez hospital, Hyderabad (a tertiary care perinatal centre in South India), or those referred between 2000 and 2014 were included in the study. The maternal, fetal and neonatal outcome and any interventions like cerclage, steroid administration were studied.
Results: There were 82 triplet deliveries over the study period of 15 years (82 per 69,584 live births). Most of them (78%) conceived with assistance and 83% of the triplets were trichorionic triamniotic. Anaemia and pregnancy induced hypertension were the commonest medical disorders (40.2 and 22%, respectively). Mean gestational age at delivery was 32 ± 2.8 weeks and 91% were delivered by caesarean section. Preterm labour and preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes were present in 29 and 15%, respectively. Antenatal steroids were administered in 87.8 and 53.7% had a cerclage. There were 20.7% growth restricted fetuses and 5.6% still births among the triplets. The mean birthweight among the live born neonates was 1.5 kg, and birthweight discordancy of >25% was seen in 14%. Among the live born neonates, 80% required admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, 11% had culture positive sepsis, 3% had bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and 4% died during the hospital stay. None of them had periventricular leukomalacia or retinopathy requiring LASER. Mothers in the spontaneous conception group were younger and had more monochorionic triamniotic pregnancies than in the assisted conception groups (11.8 vs. 2.9%, p = 0.001). The incidence of PPROM was significantly more in the spontaneous conception group than in the ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination groups (29.4 vs. 2.9%, p = 0.03), we do not have an explanation for this. There was no difference in the other maternal, fetal or neonatal parameters based on the mode of conception.
Conclusion: Though triplet pregnancies are encountered infrequently, obstetricians should be familiar with their management. Appropriate antenatal, perinatal care with neonatal support can result in optimal outcome.
Keywords: Birthweight; Fetal and neonatal outcome; Gestational age; Maternal outcome; Triplets.