Gestational age of a newborn infant can be determined by the last menstrual period of the mother, early prenatal obstetric ultrasonography and postnatal scoring systems based on examination of physical and neuromuscular maturation of the newborn infant. However, gestational age is already accurately known in pregnancies conceived with assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), ovulation induction, and in utero insemination. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy and validity of the New Ballard Score in newborn infants born from ICSI pregnancies in which gestational ages were accurately known. Between June 2005 and November 2007, we examined 430 newborns born from ICSI pregnancies at Hacettepe University Hospital. Gestational ages of the subjects ranged from 23 to 40 weeks and 3 days. The correlation coefficient between the real gestational ages and gestational ages determined by New Ballard Score was 0.98 and regression line was linear (y=0.73+0.97x). The greatest correlation between the real gestational ages and gestational ages determined by the New Ballard Score was found in newborn infants younger than 28 weeks of gestational age (r=0.91, p<0.001) when ali infants were divided into different gestational age groups. A statistically significant positive correlation between the real gestational ages and gestational ages determined by the New Ballard Score was found in singleton and multiple pregnancies (singleton: r=0.98, p<.0.001; multiple pregnancies: r=0.97, p<0.001). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between real gestational ages and gestational ages determined by the New Ballard Score in infants of hypertensive, diabetic and advanced aged mothers (infants of hypertensive mothers: r=0.95, p<0.001; infants of diabetic mothers: r=0.97, p<0.001; infants of advanced aged mothers: r=0.97, p<0.001). it was concluded that the New Ballard Score is a valid and accurate gestational age assessment tool for the entire newborn infant population.

Keywords: gebelik yaşı belirlenmesi, Yeni Ballard Skorlaması, yardımcı üreme teknolojisi.