The clinical outcome in pregnancies of grand grand multiparous women.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To longitudinally evaluate maternal and neonatal complications with relation to birth order, with specific emphasis on grand grand multiparity (at least 10th para). METHODS: The maternal and neonatal outcome of 1200 pregnancies/deliveries in 96 grand grand multiparas was longitudinally investigated in 4 stages of the mothers' life the primiparas, the multiparas (2nd-5th paras), the grand multiparas (6th-9th paras) and the grand grand multiparas stage. RESULTS: The frequency of hypertension, diabetes, placental complications, operative interventions at delivery, macrosomic infants, chromosomal abbreviations and fetal/neonatal anomalies increased with increasing birth order, being at a maximum in grand grand multiparas. The preterm delivery and perinatal mortality rate did not differ between the 3 groups of multiparas. Perinatal outcome was good in each group. CONCLUSIONS: Grand grand multiparity carries the risk of hypertensive and diabetic complications, which, in turn, often lead to induced or operative deliveries and placental complications. However, grand grand multiparity is not a major problem in societies with a good maternal health care system.