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Assessment of fetal growth in twin pregnancies: evidence‐based practice

Prasad, S; Khalil, A (2026) Assessment of fetal growth in twin pregnancies: evidence‐based practice. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, 28 (1). pp. 30-40. ISSN 1467-2561 https://doi.org/10.1111/tog.70019
SGUL Authors: Khalil, Asma

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Abstract

Key content -Twin pregnancies are at an increased risk of fetal growth restriction and require tailored growth surveillance strategies. - Fetal growth in twin pregnancies is strongly influenced by chorionicity. - In dichorionic twins, fetal growth restriction typically arises from uteroplacental insufficiency affecting one or both fetuses. In monochorionic twins, unequal sharing of the single placenta with its intertwin vascular anastomoses is the key determinant of fetal growth. - Intertwin discordance and selective fetal growth restriction are key concepts in twin growth assessment. - Singletons and twins follow different growth trajectories; hence, using singleton growth standards for twin growth surveillance may overestimate growth restriction in twins, leading to unnecessary interventions. - Twin‐specific growth charts have the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision‐making in antenatal care of twin pregnancies. Learning objectives - To understand the physiological differences in fetal growth between twin and singleton pregnancies. - To evaluate the role of twin‐specific growth charts and emerging evidence surrounding their use in clinical practice. - To review the current key recommendations in the antenatal growth surveillance of twin pregnancies. Ethical issues - Potential overtreatment of healthy twins due to misclassification using singleton charts.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © 2025 The Author(s). The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: chorionicity, fetal growth restriction, growth charts, selective fetal growth restriction, twins
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Cardiovascular & Genomics Research Institute
Academic Structure > Cardiovascular & Genomics Research Institute > Vascular Biology
Journal or Publication Title: The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
ISSN: 1467-2561
Language: en
Related URLs:
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Dates:
Date Event
2026-01-20 Published
2025-12-25 Published Online
2025-08-19 Accepted
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/118152
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1111/tog.70019

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