OBJECTIVE: The current study focused on predicting future trends in obstetrics by examining obstetricians\' approaches to specific challenging vaginal delivery that require special experience, such as breech presentation, macrosomic fetus, twin pregnancy, and vacuum use, compared with their residency training experience.
METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was qualitative and the second phase was quantitative. The \"interview\" and \"survey\" techniques served as data collection tools. In total, 20 obstetricians participated in the interviews, and 400 obstetricians took part in the survey. Data from the interviews were analyzed using the Maxqda 2020 qualitative data analysis program, and survey data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0.
RESULTS: Over the past 2 decades, there has been a gradual shift from vaginal deliveries to cesarean deliveries in cases involving breech presentation, macrosomic fetus, twin pregnancy, and vacuum use. While medicolegal concerns are undeniable, the prevalent belief among obstetricians that cesarean delivery is safer than vaginal delivery significantly influences this trend. Comparatively, young obstetricians often complete their residency training without acquiring sufficient knowledge and skills in vaginal delivery.
CONCLUSIONS: Young obstetricians currently lack adequate experience in managing vaginal deliveries for breech presentation, macrosomic fetus, twin pregnancy, and vacuum use. This experience is at risk of disappearing entirely within the next decade as senior obstetricians retire. Policymakers should take this into consideration when shaping future healthcare policies.

BACKGROUND: There are no systematic reviews analyzing cervical cerclage\'s role in improving the perinatal outcome of the second twin in dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) pregnancies following a second trimester or very early preterm birth of the first twin.
OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effect of rescue cervical cerclage on delaying the delivery of the second twin after the delivery of the first twin in DCDA twin pregnancies. The secondary objective was to analyze the effect of rescue cervical cerclage on the perinatal outcome of the second twin in DCDA pregnancies compared to the non-cerclage group.
METHODS: A literature search was performed using PubMed, Medline databases, and the Cochrane Library. The studies selected were limited to human subjects and published online by December 2023. Two sets of results in this systematic review are described; the first set includes the outcomes of pregnancies with a DCDA twin pregnancy from the cohort of case series. The meta-analysis was performed for the cohort, and a combined narrative report was provided for the second set of results for the case reports.
RESULTS: A literature search resulted in 27 case series and 36 case reports. The case series analysis demonstrated that the mean gestation age of twin 2 at delivery with cervical cerclage (27.5 weeks) compared to those without cervical cerclage (24.4 weeks) was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, analysis of the case series showed that twin 2 with cerclage had a statistically significant increase in latency period (days 44.7 vs 23.67) and birth weight (grams 3320 vs 2460) compared to the group without cerclage (p = -value was 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). It is difficult to draw any significant conclusion with complications of cervical cerclage; however, there were slightly more chorioamnionitis and respiratory distress syndrome in the cerclage group. The case report analysis showed no significant difference with or without cervical cerclage.
CONCLUSIONS: From this review, it can be concluded that in DCDA twin pregnancies, cervical cerclage insertion after the extremely premature delivery or miscarriage of twin 1 may increase the gestational age at delivery, prolong the delivery interval, and increase the birth weight of twin 2. However, a large prospective multicenter randomized control trial should be performed to assess the benefit of cervical cerclage in DCDA twins to improve the delivery interval latency period and perinatal outcome of twin 2 after the delivery of twin 1.

BACKGROUND: Twin pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of perinatal morbidity. Besides, if intrauterine death of a single twin occurs, it increases the morbidity of the surviving co-twin perinatally and postnatally.
OBJECTIVE:  The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of single intrauterine fetal death (SIUFD) in a twin pregnancy and fetal outcome defined in dimensions according to the complications in the surviving co-twin.
METHODS: Data on twin pregnancies were collected retrospectively for a period of five years (from 2015 to 2019) from the labour room records of the Central Records Department (CRD) at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India. Cases with SIUFD were studied individually and neonatal follow-up was taken post delivery for up to three to eight years. Inclusion criteria were SIUFD in twin pregnancies after 14 weeks gestation, chorionicity pre-defined by early trimester ultrasonography. Exclusion criteria were higher-order pregnancy and monoamniotic twins.
RESULTS: A total of 1246 (4.273%) twin deliveries were conducted in the study period. Of these, 107 (8.587%) pregnancies had SIUFD with co-twin surviving in utero. Among these, 77 (72%) were dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twin pregnancies and 30 (28%) were monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twin pregnancies. The incidence of SIUFD was 8.5%. Preterm birth was the most common complication observed in our study and was found in 53.5% and 58.3% of participants in DCDA and MCDA twins, respectively. Early neonatal death (within 24 hours of life) of the surviving twin was found in 29.2% monochorionic twins with SIUFD. SIUFD at < 28 weeks gestation led to a greater number of early neonatal deaths of surviving twins. The incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders (cerebral palsy, developmental delay, epilepsy) in our population after birth was 7.5% (n=93).
CONCLUSIONS: Twin pregnancies with SIUFD have an increased incidence of preterm labour, increased neonatal death of the surviving twin, and neurodevelopmental disorders (cerebral palsy, developmental delay, epilepsy). Monochorionicity and SIUFD at <28 weeks gestation are associated with increased neonatal deaths in co-twin. The Incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders is not directly associated with chorionicity, but developmental delay is more profoundly seen in the monochorionic group.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with several obstetric complications in singleton pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess whether vitamin D levels affect the outcomes of twin pregnancy and if targeted supplementation can improve perinatal outcomes.
METHODS: The serum vitamin D levels of 143 women with twin pregnancies were measured during their first trimester. Those with insufficient (10-30 ng/mL; IL group) or severely deficient (<10 ng/mL, DL group) vitamin D levels were supplemented. In the third trimester, vitamin D levels were reassessed. Perinatal outcomes of the IL and DL groups were compared with those of patients with sufficient levels (>30 ng/mL, SL group) since the beginning of pregnancy.
RESULTS: Women in the IL and DL groups had a higher incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) compared to the SL group (24.8% and 27.8% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.045): OR = 1.58 for the IL group and 1.94 for the DL group compared to the SL group. In patients whose vitamin D levels were restored after supplementation, HDP incidence was lower than in patients who remained in the IL or DL groups (23.4% vs. 27.3%) but higher than those who were always in the SL group (12.5%).
CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient or severely deficient levels of vitamin D in the first trimester are associated with an increased risk of HDP in twin pregnancy. The beneficial effect of targeted vitamin D supplementation in reducing HDP seems limited.

Hydatidiform mole coexistent with a live fetus (CMCF) is a rare entity occurring in 1:20,000 to 1:100,000 pregnancies. Three mechanisms of this type are possible: (1) a singleton pregnancy consisting of partial mole with a triploid fetus, (2) a twin gestation consisting of an androgenic complete hydatidiform mole with a biparental diploid fetus, and (3) a twin gestation consisting of a biparental diploid fetus with a normal placenta and a partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) with a triploid fetus. The abnormal triploid fetus in a partial mole tends to die in the first trimester while the fetus coexisting with a complete or partial mole in the dizygotic twin pregnancy has a chance to survive. Early detection and diagnosis of a molar gestation with a viable fetus is needed to allow medical interventions, if available. Three cases of complete mole with a twin fetus (CMTF) that were diagnosed in the prenatal period by ultrasonography will be presented. This report will also discuss the indications for continuing the pregnancy, and review the literature on the recommended prenatal care, intrapartum management, and postpartum surveillance. This report aims to encourage others to document cases of CMTF in order to arrive at a consensus regarding its optimal management.

A 38-year-old Japanese woman with a history of abnormal thyroid function of non-autoimmune origin, pituitary endocrine tumor, and untreated diabetes mellitus was referred to our outpatient clinic when she became pregnant with twins. Physical findings consistent with Cushing\'s syndrome (CS) were absent at the time of presentation. Although baseline plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone, serum cortisol, and 24-hour urinary free cortisol excretion levels were above the upper limits of normal non-pregnant reference ranges, we could not exclude a physiological increase associated with pregnancy. No medical or surgical intervention for hypercortisolism was performed during pregnancy. Spontaneous vaginal delivery resulted in the normal delivery of live twins. A diagnosis of Cushing\'s disease (CD) was established when papery skin developed postpartum. Transsphenoidal surgery was performed and the hypercortisolism partially resolved post-operatively. The patient\'s abnormal thyroid function also resolved. Pregnancy in women with endogenous CS is rare, with less than 300 cases reported. Most reported cases of CS during pregnancy are of adrenal origin. Only two cases of twin pregnancies with CD have been reported. Therefore, we reported the third case of CD in a twin pregnancy and reviewed the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with CD during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and cervical incompetence (CIC) is a significant contribution. Cervical cerclage (CC) is an effective obstetric intervention. However, many clinical factors affect the success rate of surgery. The objective was to investigate and compare the pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of patients who underwent ultrasound- and physical examination-indicated cervical cerclage and to explore the influencing factors of preterm delivery before 34 weeks.
METHODS: The sociodemographic characteristics and clinical data of patients with a diagnosis of cervical incompetence who underwent ultrasound- and physical examination-indicated transvaginal cervical cerclage at Nanjing Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of the patients were evaluated. Continuous variables were compared using Student\'s t test (for normally distributed data) or the Mann-Whitney U test (for nonnormally distributed data). Categorical variables were analysed using the chi-square test or Fisher\'s exact test. Additionally, logistic regression analyses and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the associations of inflammatory markers with maternal and neonatal outcomes.
RESULTS: This study included 141 participants who underwent cervical cerclage, including 71 with ultrasound-indicated cerclage and 70 with physical examination-indicated cerclage. Compared to those in the ultrasound-indicated cerclage group, the duration from cerclage to delivery, birth weight, and APGAR score in the physical examination-indicated cerclage group were significantly lower, and the rates of delivery at < 28 weeks, < 32 weeks, < 34 weeks, and < 37 weeks of gestation and neonatal mortality were significantly higher (all P < 0.05). Compared to those in the physical ultrasound-indicated cerclage group, in the physical examination-indicated cerclage group, maternal blood inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Additionally, maternal blood inflammatory markers, such as the CRP, white blood cell count, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), SII, and SIRI were significantly higher in the group with delivery before 34 weeks of gestation. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that twin pregnancy had the highest OR for preterm delivery before 34 weeks of gestation (OR = 3.829; 95% CI 1.413-10.373; P = 0.008), as well as the following: the SII level (OR = 1.001; 95% CI 1.000-1.002; P = 0.003) and CRP level (OR = 1.083; 95% CI 1.038-1.131; P = 0.022). The risk factors for preterm delivery before 34 weeks of gestation were twin gestation, an increased SII level and an increased CRP level, which had good combined predictive value.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with cervical insufficiency, ultrasound-indicated cervical cerclage appears to lead to better pregnancy outcomes than physical examination-indicated cerclage. Twin pregnancy and maternal blood inflammatory markers, such as the CRP level and the SII, are associated with preterm delivery before 34 weeks of gestation.

UNASSIGNED: Foetal reduction, which involves selectively terminating one or more foetuses in a multiple gestation pregnancy, has become more common. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess and compare pregnancy outcomes of foetal reduction from twin to singleton gestation to ongoing twin gestations.
UNASSIGNED: A comprehensive search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and PsycINFO) was done for studies published until 15 April 2023. The outcomes analysed included gestational diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, caesarean delivery, foetal loss, perinatal death, preterm birth (PTB), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) and birth weight.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 13 studies comprising 1241 cases of twin to singleton foetal reduction gestation were compared to 20,693 ongoing twin gestations. Our findings indicate that foetal reduction was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing maternal gestational DM (odds ratio [OR] = 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-0.59) and hypertension (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.23-0.57) compared to the control group. Incidence rate of caesarean delivery (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.53-0.81) after foetal reduction was significantly lower compared to ongoing twin gestations. There was a 63% lower chance of PTB before 37 weeks of pregnancy. However, there was no significant association between foetal reduction and outcomes such as foetal loss, perinatal death, IUGR and PPROM.
UNASSIGNED: Our findings suggest that foetal twin to singleton reduction entails potential benefits as compared to ongoing twin gestations. Further well planned studies are needed to explore underlying mechanisms to understanding of the outcomes associated with foetal reduction procedures and inform clinical decision-making for pregnant individuals and healthcare providers alike.
Foetal reduction, a procedure where one or more foetuses in a twin pregnancy are selectively terminated, has become more common. This study reviewed existing research to compare the outcomes of foetal reduction to singleton pregnancies with those of ongoing twin pregnancies. The study found that mothers who underwent foetal reduction had a lower risk of developing gestational diabetes and hypertension, and they were less likely to have a caesarean delivery. There was also a reduced chance of preterm birth before 37 weeks. However, foetal reduction did not appear to significantly impact outcomes like foetal loss, perinatal death, intrauterine growth restriction or preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes. It is important to note that there is some variation in the results among different studies, and more research is needed to fully understand these findings.

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to analyze the factors that can influence the method of childbirth in women with multiple pregnancies.
METHODS: Retrospective analysis of selected parameters in women with multiple pregnancies who gave birth at the 2nd Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Faculty of Medicine (FM), Comenius University (CU) and University Hospital (UH) Bratislava in the years 2010-2022.
RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2022, at the 2nd Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the FM CU and UH in Bratislava, 1.13% of births were multiple pregnancies. After statistical data processing, primiparity appeared statistically significant as a risk of acute caesarean section (C-section); multiparous women had a higher probability to give birth vaginally. Since 2017, the clinic has had a decreasing trend in the number of caesarean sections. Women with an acute caesarean section, in turn had on average a lower pH of both fetuses compared to vaginal delivery. However, the incidence of asphyxia in fetuses was not statistically significantly different. We found no risk factor increasing the likelihood of acute caesarean section for fetus B in twins.
CONCLUSIONS: Multiple pregnancy has a higher morbidity not only for the woman but also for the fetuses. The incidence of multiple pregnancies is influenced by assisted reproduction. Delivery method depends on various factors such as chorionicity, fetal presentation, and history of a previous caesarean section.

It is well known that inflammatory markers play an important role in the development and maintenance of healthy pregnancies. However, the literature regarding inflammation in relation to lifestyle and adverse pregnancy outcomes in twin pregnancies is remarkably uncovered. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the concentration of inflammatory markers in dried capillary blood spot samples from 523 women with twin pregnancies, included at a median gestational age of 21+1 weeks. The relationship between inflammatory markers and maternal lifestyle (current smoking status and pre-pregnancy body mass index) in addition to adverse pregnancy outcomes (preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, and small for gestational age) was analyzed. The study showed that active smoking at inclusion was associated with an elevated concentration of interleukin-8. Furthermore, maternal obesity was associated with an elevated concentration of C-reactive protein and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Analysis of the data showed no statistically significant variations in the concentration of the assessed inflammatory markers for neither preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, nor small for gestational age. The current study promotes future research on the pathophysiology of twin pregnancies in relation to adverse pregnancy outcomes, as the literature within the area remains scarce.