Placental weight and birth weight to placental weight ratio in monochorionic and dichorionic growth-restricted and non-growth-restricted twins

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:The aim of the present study was to compare the placental weight and birth weight/placental weight ratio for intrauterine growth-restricted and non-intrauterine growth-restricted monochorionic and dichorionic twins.METHODS:This was a retrospective analysis of placentas from twin pregnancies. Placental weight and the birth weight/placental weight ratio were compared in intrauterine growth-restricted and non-intrauterine growth-restricted monochorionic and dichorionic twins. The association between cord insertion type and placental lesions in intrauterine growth-restricted and non-intrauterine growth-restricted monochorionic and dichorionic twins was also investigated.RESULTS:A total of 105 monochorionic (intrauterine growth restriction=40; non-intrauterine growth restriction=65) and 219 dichorionic (intrauterine growth restriction=57; non-intrauterine growth restriction=162) placentas were analyzed. A significantly lower placental weight was observed in intrauterine growth-restricted monochorionic (p=0.022) and dichorionic (p<0.001) twins compared to non-intrauterine growth-restricted twins. There was no difference in the birth weight/placental weight ratio between the intrauterine growth restriction and non-intrauterine growth restriction groups for either monochorionic (p=0.36) or dichorionic (p=0.68) twins. Placental weight and the birth weight/placental weight ratio were not associated with cord insertion type or with placental lesions.CONCLUSION:Low placental weight, and consequently reduced functional mass, appears to be involved in fetal growth restriction in monochorionic and dichorionic twins. The mechanism by which low placental weight influences the birth weight/placental weight ratio in intrauterine growth-restricted monochorionic and dichorionic twins needs to be determined in larger prospective studies.

Placental measurements and their association with birth weight in a Brazilian cohort

“…Placental morphometry has been extensively explored in developed countries, where PW percentile curves have been reported 15,16 . However, there is limited data from Latin American populations, including Brazilian ones 13,17,18 .…”

Effect of vaginal progesterone in tocolytic therapy during preterm labor in twin pregnancies: Secondary analysis of a placebo‐controlled randomized trial

“…Our finding that dichorionic pregnancies under progesterone therapy had a shorter latency to delivery compared to the placebo group was interesting and unexpected. We infer that this may be a result of the small number of participants in this subgroup; alternatively, it may indicate that monochorionic twin pregnancies behave similarly to singleton pregnancies, as the total placental mass of monochorionic twin pregnancies is smaller than in dichorionic pregnancies . Nevertheless, this finding requires further investigation with larger sample sizes.…”

The Modified Bushen Antai Recipe Upregulates Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors at the Maternal-Fetal Interface in Pregnant Rats with Mifepristone-Induced Pregnancy Loss

“…In earlier studies, the placental weight was often used as an indicator for evaluating placental development [39]. However, because the placenta has a loose vascular plexus structure, its wet or dry weight can be affected during experimental processing steps or from humidity.…”