Retrospective Analysis of Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes in Late Term Pregnancies

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnancies beyond 40 weeks gestation. Method: The study included 476 patients who gave birth between October 2016 and October 2017 at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital, University of Health Sciences Turkey. Of the patients included in the study, 342 had delivered between 400/7 and 406/7 gestational weeks, 115 between 410/7 and 416/7 gestational weeks, and 19 between 420/7 and 426/7 gestational weeks. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS software, Windows version 24.0, and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In our study, we found that maternal and perinatal outcomes, excluding cesarean deliveries, had a similar distribution across the weeks. The cesarean delivery rates for primiparous patients were significantly higher than those for multiparous patients between 400/7 and 410/7 weeks of gestation, but similar results were obtained at 42 weeks. There was no significant association between maternal age and maternal outcome. For pregnancies in women under 18 years of age, the need for a neonatal intensive care unit was significantly increased compared to other age groups. Primiparity and male fetus were associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes between 400/7 and 426/7 gestational weeks. However, the cesarean section rate was significantly increased at 40 weeks of gestation and in primiparous patients. In addition, primiparity was associated with significant adverse maternal outcomes, and male neonate gender was associated with both adverse maternal and adverse perinatal outcomes.