Synthetic cortisol given before an early birth cuts newborn deaths
Women at risk of an early birth were given one course of corticosteroids, drugs closely related to cortisol. Fewer of their babies died, and fewer had breathing failure.
What the study found
One course of corticosteroids before preterm birth cut newborn deaths
This is the drug version, given on purpose. A single course of corticosteroids, synthetic relatives of cortisol, given to women at risk of an early birth cut newborn deaths, breathing failure and other serious complications. It is one of obstetrics' best-established treatments.
The caveat · Later childhood still under study
These are synthetic drugs given deliberately to ripen a baby's lungs, which is a different matter from living with a lot of one's own cortisol. What becomes of those children years later is still being studied. So is the safety of giving more than one course.