Pregnant women given drugs to prevent the baby being born too soon may run the risk of having serious complications. The choice of first-line drugs to avert preterm labour is controversial because of inconclusive information on the relative safety of the various agents. Most clinical trials of these drugs have been restricted to women with low-risk pregnancies and therefore don't reflect real-world situations. Researchers from Belgium studied 1920 women treated with various drugs to stop preterm labour. There were 14 serious maternal adverse events associated with treatment, including breathing difficulties, low blood pressure, heart failure, and fluid in the lungs. When combinations of drugs were used, the occurrence of serious adverse reactions was high at 16 percent. Four of these patients required intensive care. As there is no evidence that treatment with combined (drugs) is superior to single or sequential treatment, the researchers discouraged combined treatment. The real dilemma, according to them, is whether to treat or not and which drug to use? Even after more than 30 years of research, it is still not known if attempting to stop preterm labour benefits the baby, or indeed, whether the practice actually causes harm.
British Medical Journal Online
March 2009