Relationship between birthweight and repeated courses of antenatal corticosteroids

A retrospective study was conducted in a university teaching hospital to review the association between birthweight and the number of courses of antenatal corticosteroids received in 236 singleton pregnancies. Those pregnancies complicated with pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, diabetes mellitus and intrauterine growth restriction were excluded. The results showed that the birthweight ratio (calculated as the baby's birthweight divided by the median birthweight for that gestational age) was negatively correlated with the number of courses of corticosteroids received. Further, exposure to four or more courses of antenatal corticosteroids was associated with a significant reduction in birthweight ratio and a three-fold increase in the risk of being small-for-dates compared to those exposed to one to three courses.