Twins
Feeding
Tests
Nutrition and fitness
1st Trimester
2nd Trimester
3rd Trimester
Financial/benefits
Complications
Concerns
Labour/delivery
Newborn
Loss
Keep your family safe from germs and bacteria
Cramping in twin pregnancy
My wife is 14 weeks pregnant with twins. She has had severe morning sickness and constant cramping that started five weeks ago. An ultrasound showed both hearts are beating strong. When can we stop worrying about miscarriage?
The frequencies of twin ‘disappearance’ or the loss of one baby but not the other, reportedly ranges from 15 to 70 per cent if an ultrasound is performed before 14 weeks. Generally, it is considered to be about 20 per cent.
Like single pregnancies, the risk of miscarriage declines with ultrasound observation of the foetal hearts and goes down again after completion of the first trimester. It does appear as if those two landmarks have been reached in your case.
However, due to the inherent placental circulation demands of twins, the spontaneous loss rate is still high and does extend until the 20th week of pregnancy, after which it falls off. As the third trimester approaches, your wife will be watched closely due to an increased risk of preterm labour. In general, although carrying twins make it a high-risk pregnancy, many pregnancies progress uneventfully and without complication.
If your wife has no other health problems such as cervical incompetence, autoimmune problems or severe anaemia, which would increase her chances of pregnancy loss, she should be in a good position to have a healthy pregnancy.
Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Horoscopes| Message Boards | Quizzes | Newsletters | Join
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB
