Preterm birth (PTB) complicates 13% of all pregnancies worldwide and is the most important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Women with a twin pregnancy are at increased risk of preterm delivery. In the Netherlands, approximately 50% of women with a multiple pregnancy deliver before 37 weeks of gestation (WoG), of whom 9% deliver before 32 weeks. Evidence based treatment guidelines concerning prevention of PTB are not available in Europe. Expectant management is usual care with interventions only in terms of a tertiary prevention of PTB according to guidelines for premature rupture of membranes, premature labour or other pregnancy complications. The studies done on this topic included women at different stages of the second trimester so the question of the onset of cervix shortening and its impact on PTB is not answered yet. The critical period for a maximum impact of the pessary treatment on PTB is still to be verified. Up to now only the ProTwinTrial addressed the long-term outcome of the newborns, so here data and evidence is clearly missing. The investigators want to assess the impact of a cervical pessary treatment in twin pregnancies with cervical shortening on children's survival without neurodevelopmental disability at the age of 3 years at 3 different stages of the second trimester (16-20 (early) vs. 20-24 (middle) vs. 24-28 (late) weeks of gestation).
Age range
18 Years – 45 Years
Sex
FEMALE
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Children's survival without neurodevelopmental disability at the age of 3.
Timeframe: assesment of the newborns at age of 3 years (corrected age for prematurity)