[Multiple pregnancies. Neonatal morbidity and mortality].

The increase in the number of multiple pregnancies and the high incidence of prematurity in this type of pregnancy justifies a pediatric evaluation. A retrospective study (1985-1989) compared the perinatal and neonatal characteristics of children resulting from 14 multifetal (at least 3 fetuses) pregnancies, with a gestational age of less than 34 weeks, with 27 children resulting from monofetal pregnancies of the same duration. Neonatal morbidity and mortality appeared to be similar in both groups. Thus at this very early time of onset of labour (mean gestational age of 30 weeks), fetal multiplicity expressed itself neither by any particular neonatal pathology nor by malnutrition.