Nutritional Intake in Dichorionic Twin Pregnancies: A Descriptive Analysis of a Multisite United States Cohort

Introduction Twin gestations have greater nutritional demands than singleton gestations, yet dietary intakes of women with twin gestations have not been well described. Methods In a prospective, multi-site US study of 148 women with dichorionic twin gestations (2012–2013), we examined longitudinal changes in diet across pregnancy. Women completed a food frequency questionnaire during each trimester of pregnancy. We examined changes in means of total energy and energy-adjusted dietary components using linear mixed effects models. Results Mean energy intake (95% CI) across the three trimesters was 2010 kcal/day (1846, 2175), 2177 kcal/day (2005, 2349), 2253 kcal/day (2056, 2450), respectively ( P = 0.01), whereas the Healthy Eating Index-2010 was 63.9 (62.1, 65.6), 64.5 (62.6, 66.3), 63.2 (61.1, 65.3), respectively ( P = 0.53). Discussion Women with twin gestations moderately increased total energy as pregnancy progressed, though dietary composition and quality remained unchanged. These findings highlight aspects of nutritional intake that may need to be improved among women carrying twins.