title: Clinical features and short-term outcomes of triplet pregnancies in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review clinical features and short-term outcomes of triplet pregnancies among Japanese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis was carried out among 320 Japanese women with triplet pregnancies (8 monochorionic, 75 dichorionic, and 150 trichorionic triplets; 87 with unknown placental chorionicity) who delivered at 22 gestational weeks or more between January 2005 and December 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Delivery was by cesarean for 315 (98%) women. Gestational age at delivery was 32.3±2.8 weeks (mean±SD) and 33.2 weeks (median), and 97%, 61%, and 14% of women delivered at less than 37, less than 34, and less than 30 gestational weeks, respectively. For live-born infants, mean birth weight was 1762±437 g, 1608±396 g, and 1406±380 g for the heaviest, middle, and lightest triplet, respectively. Eighteen (5.6%) women experienced perinatal mortality (3 triplets for 1 woman, 2 triplets for 4 women, and 1 triplet for 13 women). Perinatal mortality was 25 deaths per 1000 deliveries, and decreased with increasing number of chorionic membranes (125, 44, and 20 per 1000 mono-, di-, and trichorionic triplet deliveries, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term outcomes were good among triplet pregnancies in Japan. The data may be useful for counseling Japanese women with triplet pregnancies.
authors: Center for Perinatal Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan. mmamoru@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors: Mamoru
authors: M
authors: Morikawa
authors: Kazutoshi
authors: K
authors: Cho
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Yamada
authors: Takahiro
authors: T
authors: Yamada
authors: Shoji
authors: S
authors: Sato
authors: Hisanori
authors: H
authors: Minakami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014310:Triplets