Perinatal mortality in twins, Australia, 1973-1980: I.

The perinatal outcome of twin births in Australia is described from 1973 to 1980. Over that period, the perinatal mortality rate declined more slowly in twins than singletons. The stillbirth rate actually increased in twins due to a rise in antepartum deaths. An increasing proportion of monozygotic twins may have contributed to this trend. The overall perinatal mortality rate was 82.85/1,000 for twins and 16.49/1,000 for singletons, giving a relative risk of 5.0.