Canadian researchers revealed in their new study that a set of steroids injections given once for pregnant women who are at risk of giving birth prematurely can eliminate major complications for the baby; although, the researchers also claim that more steroid injections do not also result to more benefit as stated in the report of Will Dunham of the Reuters.

BBC News similarly published the same report claiming that pregnant women who are at risk of giving premature delivery are not advised to take excessive doses of steroids. The current study conducted by Canadian researchers, which was first published in the Lancet Medical Journal, opposed the previous studies that say additional set of steroid injections to these pregnant women can save the baby from the risk of dying, breathing problems, or bleeding in the brain. The current study suggests that giving additional doses of steroids to these pregnant women, specifically every 14 weeks, do not show any improvement on the health of the babies. Worse, such practice is claimed to result to reduce in weight of the babies.

The report posted on the MSNBC.com stated in detail that the researchers find it more beneficial to prescribe one dose of steroid injection alone than giving multiple doses to pregnant women. Babies prescribed with more doses are observed to have smaller head and less weight.

The conclusion of the study was based on the response of 1,858 women who were observed in 20 countries. All of these women were given a preliminary course of injections. Then, half of their numbers were provided with extra injections every two weeks until they reach their 33rd weeks of pregnancy or delivery; while the others obtain placebos at similar intervals.

“The key findings from our study was that there was no benefit (from the frequent courses of injections) and therefore that repeated doses should not be used,” stated by Dr. Kellie Murphy of the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and University of Toronto who led the study.
According to the Reuters report, the doctors have been used to in giving women who are at risk to deliver premature babies with more than one set of steroid injections for sometime already. This is because of the belief that this could provide great help to the development of the baby. Unfortunately, the value of this practice became unclear now.

Essentially, the practice of giving repeat steroid injections is performed because of the physicians’ certainty that it will significantly save women from the high risk caused by giving premature birth such as the following: diabetes; obesity; high blood pressure; problems with the placenta, cervix and uterus. Because of these risks, almost thousands of women are given with the shots in United States and Canada alone according to Murphy.

But again, the new study advises the doctors to stick to one set of treatment alone. Karen Simmer of Princess Margaret and King Edward Hospitals in Australia and John Newman of the University of Western Australia also supported the new claim by stating in a commentary that it is practical for obstetricians not to provide frequent injections of steroids to these women.

“Single-course therapy is of considerable benefit, but we should be aware of the potential dangers of giving too much of a good thing,” they commented. “There is a big difference between giving steroids every week and giving them once or twice,” Professor Andrew Shennan of St. Thomas’s Hospital in London also stated. Dr. Murphy advised doctors to be more careful even in prescribing patients with one added dose.

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