Experts deliberate risk and management of twin pregnancies in the Middle East


Posted March 25, 2016 by benanderson

Twin and multiple foetus pregnancies a hot topic at the Foetal Medicine Conference in March
 
Twin and multiple foetus pregnancies a hot topic at the Foetal Medicine Conference in March

Dubai, UAE: Carrying twins or multiple foetuses commands joy and caution. While the percentage of mothers with twin pregnancies or more are increasing in the Middle East, these foetuses are not all conceived naturally. Due to the fact that many women may postpone motherhood and get pregnant at a later stage they would seek IVF and alternative conception therapies available, on the other hand some parents resort to IVF treatment, at times solely for the purpose of producing twins and not due to challenges in fertility.

From a medical practitioner’s standpoint managing twins or triplets can be quite challenging due to the various risk factors that expecting mothers are subjected to. From a mother’s perspective it means more frequent check-ups, a greater emphasis on certain nutrients such as folic acid, calcium and iron. It also means more weight gain for the pregnant mother approximately 7-25 KGs. There are also restrictions on travel, work, and physical activity especially as the pregnancy advances. The gestation period may be cut short to approximately 38 weeks of pregnancy.

“In my practice I see approximately 100 to 110 mothers with multiple pregnancies per year. We conduct around 700 to 800 ultra sound examinations for multiple pregnancies per year. This is a combination of patients that we manage and patients who are referred to us from other obstetricians for more specialised scanning,” says Dr George Michailidis, Foetal & Maternal Medicine Consultant, Genesis, Dubai, UAE.

Dr Michailidis will discuss the management of twin pregnancies at the Foetal Medicine conference at the Obs-Gyne Exhibition & Congress that will take place from 27-29 March 2016 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Some of the pregnancy complications that occur in twin and multiple pregnancies include, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, which is a coupling of high blood pressure and protein in the urine resulting in strict monitoring of the mother and the foetus. The mother is also quite often at risk of being unable to carry both babies to full term. With identical twins, there is the risk for a blood vessel in the placenta to connect the babies' circulatory systems. This causes one baby to receive more blood and the much less. This is a serious complication for both foetuses that may require aggressive intervention during the pregnancy. It may even require an early delivery.

“Carrying twins on its own is not a contraindication for normal delivery. However the risk vs. benefit of a normal delivery against an elective C-Section will need to be carefully discussed with the parents. From an obstetric perspective the first twin would need to be cephalic (head down) and there should not be any other significant obstetric- related concerns,” concluded Dr Michailidis.

Resource box: Dr Michailidis will discuss the management of twin pregnancies at the ( http://www.obs-gyne.com/ ) Foetal Medicine conference at the ( http://www.obs-gyne.com/ ) Obs-Gyne Exhibition & Congress that will take place from 27-29 March 2016 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
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Issued By gina
Country Canada
Categories Business
Last Updated March 25, 2016