The Outcome of Twin Pregnancies in Dunedin 1968–1978

Summary: Of 14,473 pregnancies in Dunedin City between 1968 and 1978, 1.07% were twin (1 in 93.4 pregnancies). Perinatal mortality has decreased over this period for both twins and singletons. To examine the hypothesis that the tendency for twins to be preterm and small for gestational age explained their increased mortality and morbidity, groups of twins and singletons of like birth-weight and gestational age were compared. No significant differences were found, suggesting that birth-weight and gestational age are the major determinants of outcome, and that a twin should fare no worse than a singleton of similar birth-weight and gestational age.