Background

Twin pregnancy is a high risk pregnancy associated with complications with resultant increased maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Recent increases in the incidence of twin births are attributed to delayed childbearing among women and the increased use of assisted reproductive techniques.

Objective

To review twin deliveries at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi

Materials and Methods

This was a retrospective study of twin deliveries at the BSUTH from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2017. Data were retrieved from the mothers’ medical records and analyzed using SPSS (version 20.0) and the level of significance was set at a P–value of ˂ 0.05.

Results

The twinning rate was 18 per 1000 deliveries. The mean maternal age was 32.2(6.0 SD) and the mean parity was 2.3. Twenty–eight (80.0%) were booked whereas 7(20.0%) were unbooked. Six (17.1%) had primary education, 14 (40.0%) had secondary education and 15 (42.9%) had tertiary education. The mean gestational age at delivery was 36.5 (1.88 SD) weeks. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were the commonest maternal complications. The main fetal complication was preterm delivery, occurring in 48.6% of deliveries. Presentations were vertex–vertex in 57.1%, vertex–nonvertex in 20.0% and non–vertex leading twin in 22.9% of deliveries. Male–to–female sex ratio was 2.04: 1. The overall mean birth weight was 2.5(0.41 SD) kg. The caesarean section rate was 25.7%. The perinatal mortality rate (PNMR) was 114 per 1000 total deliveries.

Conclusion

The twinning rate was 18 per 1000 and the PNMR was 114 per 1000. There is a need for advocacy in favour of consultant–led maternity care for multiple pregnancies in our setting.