Review of Dietary Recommendations for Twin Pregnancy: Does Nutrition Science Keep Up with the Growing Incidence of Multiple Gestations?

Abstract

Recommendations for nutrition and the use of dietary supplements for pregnant women are updated on regular basis but it remains to be seen to what extent they may be applicable in twin pregnancies. The aim of this narrative review is to present the current state of knowledge about the energy and nutrient demand in twin pregnancy. There is general consensus in literature that the energy demand is higher than in a singleton pregnancy, but there is a lack of position statements from scientific societies on specific energy intake that is required. In turn, recommended maternal weight gain, which favors the normal weight of the neonate, has been determined. There is even a larger knowledge gap when it comes to vitamins and minerals, the body stores of which are theoretically used up faster. The greatest number of studies so far focused on vitamin D, and most of them concluded that its concentration in maternal blood is lower in twin as compared to singleton pregnancy. Few randomized studies focus on iron supplementation and there are no other studies that would assess dietary interventions. In light of a growing incidence of multiple pregnancies, more studies are necessary to establish the nutritional demands of the mother and the course of action for adequate supplementation.

The Intuitive Eating Scale-2 Adapted for Mexican Pregnant Women: Psychometric Properties and Influence of Sociodemographic Variables

“…Concerning the influence of sociodemographic and reproductive factors on the total IES-2 score, twin pregnancy, pg-BMI, household welfare, and having a current illness were the most influencing factors. Regarding the type of pregnancy, we did not find studies to back up our observation; however, we propose a hypothesis to explain our finding: it has been reported that women with twin pregnancies experience vomiting, nausea, poor appetite, early satiety, and physical discomfort more often than women with singleton pregnancy, due to an enlarged uterus [39,40]. These physical sensations may trigger increased awareness of hunger and satiety cues and thus higher intuitive eating scores.…”

Twin Pregnancy Complicated by Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes

“…One prior study evaluated the extent to which midpregnancy weight gain predisposes an individual to developing GDM in twin pregnancies but did not find a significant effect [ 33 ]. Furthermore, while is it generally agreed that individuals pregnant with twins should increase their energy intake, more precise recommendations considering factors such as GDM, preprengancy BMI, and gestational weight gain are lacking [ 34 , 35 ]. While additional data on gestational weight gain in twin pregnancy is awaited, we recommend a clinical focus on prepregnancy planning with the aim of attaining a healthy BMI before conception.…”

Immunohistochemical features of expression of progesterone receptors of placental structures in premature birth

“…Передчасні пологи є не тільки медичною, а й соціальною проблемою, яка пов'язана з високими показниками перинатальної захворюваності та смертності передчасно народжених немовлят [7,[11][12][13][14]. Незважаючи на значний прогрес у медичній науці, частота передчасних пологів у світі залишається високою і коливається у межах 8-12 % [15][16][17][18][19].…”