Epitwin
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gestation of delivery of twins - influence on perinatal mortality and morbidity and childhood educational outcomes
IRAS ID
187210
Contact name
Sarah Murray
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
104490/Z/14/Z, Wellcome Trust Grant
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The purpose of this work is to find out how gestation (the number of weeks of pregnancy) at delivery affects the immediate and future health of the baby in twin pregnancies. Twins are a high risk pregnancy requiring specialist obstetric care and
carrying a tenfold increase in death compared to singleton pregnancies. Twins also have a 50% chance of delivering early (before 37 weeks gestation) leading to problems of prematurity in the babies including death. The rate of twin pregnancies
is increasing, mainly due to the increase in in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques.In singleton pregnancies, data from our own Centre and others shows that the risk of fetal death can be reduced by inducing labour at any time from 37 weeks gestation. Although early delivery reduces the risk of fetal death, it also appears to increase the risk that the child will have special educational needs at school. Unfortunately in twin pregnancies there is limited research into both the effect of timing of birth on outcome for twins and the effect of early delivery on reducing rates of death.
In this study I aim to look at all the sets of twins which have been delivered in Scotland since 1980. I will determine outcomes at each week of delivery from 34 weeks in order to determine when would be the optimum timing of delivery to reduce fetal death and complications. I will also look at longer term childhood educational outcomes of twin pregnancies again comparing the gestational ages they were delivered at. I believe this work will help guide clinicians on when to advise induction of labour in straightforward twin pregnancies in order to reduce fetal death and complications.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 02
REC reference
15/SS/0197
Date of REC Opinion
28 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion