Am J Perinatol 2024; 41(10): 1445-1454
DOI: 10.1055/a-2091-1254
Original Article

Prenatal Weight Change Trajectories and Perinatal Outcomes among Twin Gestations

1   Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
,
Sina Haeri
2   Women's Center of Texas, St. David's Healthcare, Austin, Texas
,
Anthony Rudine
3   Office of Research, St. David's Healthcare, Austin, Texas
,
Natalie Burns
4   Department of Statistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
,
Paul J. Rathouz
5   Department of Population Health and Biomedical Data Science Hub, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas
,
Monique M. Hedderson
6   Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California
,
Steven A. Abrams
7   Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas
,
Saralyn F. Foster
1   Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
,
Rachel Rickman
1   Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
,
Mollie McDonnold
3   Office of Research, St. David's Healthcare, Austin, Texas
,
1   Department of Nutritional Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
› Institutsangaben
Funding This work was supported by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation Jean Hankin Nutritional Epidemiology Research Grant awarded to Amy R. Nichols, PhD, MS, RD, and American Society for Nutrition Predoctoral Fellowship awarded to Amy R. Nichols, PhD, MS, RD, and also supported with grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the University of Texas at Austin (identifier: NIH R00HD086304; available at: https://brand.utexas.edu/). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Abstract

Objective Despite an increase in twin pregnancies in recent decades, the Institute of Medicine twin weight gain recommendations remain provisional and provide no guidance for the pattern or timing of weight change. We sought to characterize gestational weight change trajectory patterns and examine associations with birth outcomes in a cohort of twin pregnancies.

Study Design Prenatal and delivery records were examined for 320 twin pregnancies from a maternal–fetal medicine practice in Austin, TX 2011-2019. Prenatal weights for those with >1 measured weight in the first trimester and ≥3 prenatal weights were included in analyses. Trajectories were estimated to 32 weeks (mean delivery: 33.7 ± 3.3 weeks) using flexible latent class mixed models with low-rank thin-plate splines. Associations between trajectory classes and infant outcomes were analyzed using multivariable Poisson or linear regression.

Results Weight change from prepregnancy to delivery was 15.4 ± 6.3 kg for people with an underweight body mass index, 15.4 ± 5.8 kg for healthy weight, 14.7 ± 6.9 kg for overweight, and 12.5 ± 6.4 kg for obesity. Three trajectory classes were identified: low (Class 1), moderate (Class 2), or high gain (Class 3). Class 1 (24.7%) maintained weight for 15 weeks and then gained an estimated 6.6 kg at 32 weeks. Class 2 (60.9%) exhibited steady gain with 13.5 kg predicted total gain, and Class 3 (14.4%) showed rapid gain across pregnancy with 21.3 kg predicted gain. Compared to Class 1, Class 3 was associated with higher birth weight z-score (β = 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31,0.96), increased risk for large for gestational age (IRR = 5.60, 95% CI: 1.59, 19.67), and birth <32 weeks (IRR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.10, 5.4) that was attenuated in sensitivity analyses. Class 2 was associated with moderately elevated birth weight z-score (β = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.48, p = 0.050).

Conclusion Gestational weight change followed a low, moderate, or high trajectory; both moderate and high gain patterns were associated with increased infant size outcomes. Optimal patterns of weight change that balance risk during the prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal periods require further investigation, particularly in high-risk twin pregnancies.

Key Points

  • A majority gained weight below IOM twin recommendations.

  • Three patterns of GWC across pregnancy were identified.

  • Moderate or high GWC was associated with infant size.

Note

Funding sources had no involvement in study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.


Supplementary Material



Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 07. März 2023

Angenommen: 04. Mai 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
10. Mai 2023

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
11. Juli 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 
  • References

  • 1 Osterman M, Hamilton B, Martin JA, Driscoll AK, Valenzuela CP. Births: final data for 2020. Natl Vital Stat Rep 2021; 70 (17) 1-50
  • 2 Bodnar LM, Pugh SJ, Abrams B, Himes KP, Hutcheon JA. Gestational weight gain in twin pregnancies and maternal and child health: a systematic review. J Perinatol 2014; 34 (04) 252-263
  • 3 Jelenkovic A, Sund R, Yokoyama Y. et al. Birth size and gestational age in opposite-sex twins as compared to same-sex twins: an individual-based pooled analysis of 21 cohorts. Sci Rep 2018; 8 (01) 6300
  • 4 Dudenhausen JW, Maier RF. Perinatal problems in multiple births. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107 (38) 663-668
  • 5 Refuerzo JS, Momirova V, Peaceman AM. et al; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. Neonatal outcomes in twin pregnancies delivered moderately preterm, late preterm, and term. Am J Perinatol 2010; 27 (07) 537-542
  • 6 Alexander GR, Kogan M, Martin J, Papiernik E. What are the fetal growth patterns of singletons, twins, and triplets in the United States?. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1998; 41 (01) 114-125
  • 7 Cheung YB, Yip P, Karlberg J. Mortality of twins and singletons by gestational age: a varying-coefficient approach. Am J Epidemiol 2000; 152 (12) 1107-1116
  • 8 Bleker OP, Oosting H. Term and postterm twin gestations. Placental cause of perinatal mortality. J Reprod Med 1997; 42 (11) 715-718
  • 9 Berceanu C, Mehedinţu C, Berceanu S. et al. Morphological and ultrasound findings in multiple pregnancy placentation. Rom J Morphol Embryol 2018; 59 (02) 435-453
  • 10 Grantz KL, Grewal J, Albert PS. et al. Dichorionic twin trajectories: the NICHD fetal growth studies. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2016; 215 (02) 221.e1-221.e16
  • 11 Min SJ, Luke B, Gillespie B. et al. Birth weight references for twins. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000; 182 (05) 1250-1257
  • 12 Hutcheon JA, Platt RW, Abrams B. et al. Pregnancy weight gain by gestational age in women with uncomplicated dichorionic twin pregnancies. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2018; 32 (02) 172-180
  • 13 Luke B, Minogue J, Witter FR, Keith LG, Johnson TR. The ideal twin pregnancy: patterns of weight gain, discordancy, and length of gestation. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1993; 169 (03) 588-597
  • 14 Luke B. Reducing fetal deaths in multiple births: optimal birthweights and gestational ages for infants of twin and triplet births. Acta Genet Med Gemellol (Roma) 1996; 45 (03) 333-348
  • 15 Karageyim Karsidag AY, Kars B, Dansuk R. et al. Brain damage to the survivor within 30  min of co-twin demise in monochorionic twins. Fetal Diagn Ther 2005; 20 (02) 91-95
  • 16 Cheong-See F, Schuit E, Arroyo-Manzano D. et al; Global Obstetrics Network (GONet) Collaboration. Prospective risk of stillbirth and neonatal complications in twin pregnancies: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2016; 354: i4353
  • 17 Newman RB, Unal ER. Multiple gestations: timing of indicated late preterm and early-term births in uncomplicated dichorionic, monochorionic, and monoamniotic twins. Semin Perinatol 2011; 35 (05) 277-285
  • 18 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG Practice Bulletin, Number 231: multifetal gestations: twin, triplet, and higher-order multifetal pregnancies. Obstet Gynecol 2021; 137 (06) e145-e162
  • 19 Joseph KS, Fahey J, Platt RW. et al. An outcome-based approach for the creation of fetal growth standards: do singletons and twins need separate standards?. Am J Epidemiol 2009; 169 (05) 616-624
  • 20 Siega-Riz AM, Viswanathan M, Moos MK. et al. A systematic review of outcomes of maternal weight gain according to the Institute of Medicine recommendations: birthweight, fetal growth, and postpartum weight retention. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009; 201 (04) 339.e1-339.e14
  • 21 Luke B, Hediger ML, Nugent C. et al. Body mass index--specific weight gains associated with optimal birth weights in twin pregnancies. J Reprod Med 2003; 48 (04) 217-224
  • 22 Institute of Medicine. In: Rasmussen KM, Yaktine AL. eds, Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Reexamining the Guidelines. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2009
  • 23 Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and severe obesity among adults: United States, 2017-2018. NCHS Data Brief 2020; ;( (360) 1-8
  • 24 R Foundation for Statistical Computing. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Accessed May 26, 2023 at: https://www.r-project.org 2022
  • 25 Proust-Lima C, Philipps V, Liquet B. Estimation of extended mixed models using latent classes and latent processes: The R Package lcmm. J Stat Softw 2017; 78 (02) 1-56
  • 26 Widen EM, Burns N, Daniels M. et al. Gestational weight change and childhood body composition trajectories from pregnancy to early adolescence. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2022; 30 (03) 707-717
  • 27 Widen EM, Burns N, Kahn LG. et al. Prenatal weight and regional body composition trajectories and neonatal body composition: The NICHD Foetal Growth Studies. Pediatr Obes 2023; 18 (03) e12994
  • 28 Nichold AR, Burns N, Xu F. et al. Novel approaches to examining weight changes in pregnancies affected by obesity. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 117 (05) 1026-1034
  • 29 Crainiceanu CM, Ruppert D, Wand MP. Bayesian analysis for penalized spline regression using WinBUGS. J Stat Softw 2005; 14 (14) 1-24
  • 30 Celeux G, Soromenho G. An entropy criterion for assessing the number of clusters in a mixture model. J Classif 1996; 13 (02) 195-212
  • 31 Cummings P. Methods for estimating adjusted risk ratios. Stata J 2009; 9 (02) 175-196
  • 32 Zou G. A modified Poisson regression approach to prospective studies with binary data. Am J Epidemiol 2004; 159 (07) 702-706
  • 33 Aris IM, Kleinman KP, Belfort MB, Kaimal A, Oken E. A 2017 US Reference for singleton birth weight percentiles using obstetric estimates of gestation. Pediatrics 2019; 144 (01) e20190076
  • 34 Chen HY, Chauhan SP. Risk of neonatal and infant mortality in twins and singletons by gestational age. Am J Perinatol 2019; 36 (08) 798-805
  • 35 Steinman G. Mechanisms of twinning: VIII. Maternal height, insulinlike growth factor and twinning rate. J Reprod Med 2006; 51 (09) 694-698
  • 36 Myklestad K, Vatten LJ, Magnussen EB, Salvesen KÅ, Romundstad PR. Do parental heights influence pregnancy length?: A population-based prospective study, HUNT 2. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2013; 13 (01) 33
  • 37 Bodnar LM, Himes KP, Abrams B. et al. Gestational weight gain and adverse birth outcomes in twin pregnancies. Obstet Gynecol 2019; 134 (05) 1075-1086
  • 38 Arnold CC, Kramer MS, Hobbs CA, McLean FH, Usher RH. Very low birth weight: a problematic cohort for epidemiologic studies of very small or immature neonates. Am J Epidemiol 1991; 134 (06) 604-613
  • 39 Fox NS, Rebarber A, Roman AS, Klauser CK, Peress D, Saltzman DH. Weight gain in twin pregnancies and adverse outcomes: examining the 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines. Obstet Gynecol 2010; 116 (01) 100-106
  • 40 Lutsiv O, Hulman A, Woolcott C. et al. Examining the provisional guidelines for weight gain in twin pregnancies: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2017; 17 (01) 330
  • 41 Liu LY, Zafman KB, Fox NS. The association between gestational weight gain in each trimester and pregnancy outcomes in twin pregnancies. Am J Perinatol 2021; 38 (06) 567-574
  • 42 Catov JM, Abatemarco D, Althouse A, Davis EM, Hubel C. Patterns of gestational weight gain related to fetal growth among women with overweight and obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2015; 23 (05) 1071-1078
  • 43 Hinkle SN, Sharma AJ, Dietz PM. Gestational weight gain in obese mothers and associations with fetal growth. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 92 (03) 644-651
  • 44 Goldstein RF, Abell SK, Ranasinha S. et al. Association of gestational weight gain with maternal and infant outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 2017; 317 (21) 2207-2225
  • 45 Lal AK, Kominiarek MA. Weight gain in twin gestations: are the Institute of Medicine guidelines optimal for neonatal outcomes?. J Perinatol 2015; 35 (06) 405-410
  • 46 Pécheux O, Garabedian C, Drumez E. et al. Maternal and neonatal outcomes according to gestational weight gain in twin pregnancies: are the Institute of Medicine guidelines associated with better outcomes?. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2019; 234: 190-194
  • 47 Fox NS, Saltzman DH, Kurtz H, Rebarber A. Excessive weight gain in term twin pregnancies: examining the 2009 Institute of Medicine definitions. Obstet Gynecol 2011; 118 (05) 1000-1004
  • 48 Brown JE, Schloesser PT. Prepregnancy weight status, prenatal weight gain, and the outcome of term twin gestations. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1990; 162 (01) 182-186
  • 49 Shamshirsaz AA, Haeri S, Ravangard SF. et al. Perinatal outcomes based on the institute of medicine guidelines for weight gain in twin pregnancies. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2014; 27 (06) 552-556
  • 50 Lin D, Huang Z, Fan D. et al. Association between gestational weight gain and perinatal outcomes among twin gestations based on the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines: a systematic review. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2022; 35 (25) 6527-6541
  • 51 Lipworth H, Barrett J, Murphy KE, Redelmeier D, Melamed N. Gestational weight gain in twin gestations and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG 2022; 129 (06) 868-879
  • 52 Lin D, Rao J, Fan D. et al. Should singleton birth weight standards be applied to identify small-for-gestational age twins?: Analysis of a retrospective cohort study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2021; 21 (01) 446
  • 53 Lee HC, Gould JB, Boscardin WJ, El-Sayed YY, Blumenfeld YJ. Trends in cesarean delivery for twin births in the United States: 1995-2008. Obstet Gynecol 2011; 118 (05) 1095-1101
  • 54 González-Quintero VH, Kathiresan AS, Tudela FJ, Rhea D, Desch C, Istwan N. The association of gestational weight gain per institute of medicine guidelines and prepregnancy body mass index on outcomes of twin pregnancies. Am J Perinatol 2012; 29 (06) 435-440