Is gestational hypertension beneficial in twin pregnancies?

• Trend towards higher birth weight in hypertensive twin pregnancies.
• The rate of SGA is increased in the second twins compared to the first.
• Women with both twins SGA deliver closer to term compared to women with AGA twins.

ObjectivesHypertensive disorders of pregnancy are commonly associated with impaired foetal growth. However, some studies observed that gestational hypertension in twin pregnancy could be beneficial for foetal growth. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of gestational hypertension on neonatal birth weight among twin pregnancies.Study designThis is a retrospective study about the comparison of 196 hypertensive twin pregnancies to 912 normotensive ones, who gave birth in the teaching hospital “A. Gemelli” in Rome from 1980 to 2006.Main outcome measuresBirth weight, inter-twin weight discordance and rate of small for gestational age neonates in the first and second twin.ResultsBirth weight, inter-twin weight discordance and rate of small for gestational age neonates were similar between the two groups. In the normotensive group, the discordance >25% was associated with lower gestational age at the delivery (p < 0.00001), data not observed in the hypertensive group. The rate of pregnancies with second twin small for gestational age rose while paralleling the degree of the discordance in both groups.ConclusionGestational hypertension in twin pregnancies, if compared to normotensive ones, is not detrimental for foetal growth.