title: Controversies in the use of antenatal steroids for fetal maturation.
abstract: After decades of caution and reticence, by the early 1990s, the use of antenatal corticosteroids was accepted as a pharmacologic intervention to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with prematurity. Many prospective studies yielded robust evidence to support the use of corticosteroids for fetal maturation. Their use is no longer disputed. Nevertheless, many unanswered questions remain regarding issues such as the ideal dose, drug form, regimen, or timing of treatment. This article explores many of the unanswered questions associated with antenatal corticosteroid use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, 77030, USA. alex.c.vidaeff@uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Vidaeff
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mastrobattista
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D005865:Gestational Age; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids