Compelling new evidence reveals that in-utero exposure to antenatal corticosteroids for threatened preterm labour increases the risk of both respiratory and non-respiratory infections throughout childhood and into early adulthood.

The major population study challenges prevailing assumptions about the safety of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) for threatened preterm labour and suggests a rethink of current practice when preterm birth prediction is uncertain.

International guidelines recommend the use of ACS in pregnancies at risk of imminent preterm birth before 34 weeks’ gestation to accelerate fetal lung development and reduce the risk of neonatal death.

But recent data show their use has expanded to later gestations — including elective caesareans at 37-38 weeks — despite limited evidence of benefit in these cases.