English abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the fetal and maternal outcomes of triplet gestation
and to report on the maternal characteristics of those pregnancies in a tertiary care centre in Oman. Methods:
A retrospective study was undertaken of all triplet pregnancies delivered at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital,
Muscat, Oman, between January 2009 and December 2011. Results: Over the three-year study period, there were
9,140 deliveries. Of these, there were 18 triplet pregnancies, giving a frequency of 0.2%. The mean gestational
age at delivery was 31.0 ± 3.0 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 1,594 ± 460 g. The most common maternal
complications were preterm labour in 13 pregnancies (72.2%), gestational diabetes in 7 (39%) and gestational
hypertension in 5 (28%). Of the total deliveries, there were 54 neonates. Neonatal complications among these
included hyaline membrane disease in 25 neonates (46%), hyperbilirubinaemia in 24 (43%), sepsis in 18 (33%) and
anaemia in 8 (15%). The perinatal mortality rate was 55 per 1,000 births. Conclusion: The maternal and neonatal
outcomes of triplet pregnancies were similar to those reported in other studies.
