Read up on Premature birth treatment options at Consumer Reports Health.

Premature birth

Key points about treatments

If your delivery starts early, there are things doctors can do to increase your baby's chances of a healthy start. Some medicines can help delay delivery, and this gives your baby a little more time to grow. You can also be given other drugs at the same time to speed up your baby's development.

Key points about treating premature birth

Pregnancy normally lasts between 37 and 42 weeks. Having a baby before the 37th week of pregnancy is a premature (or preterm) birth
Doctors can't predict who will have a premature birth. There is not a lot doctors can do to prevent it, even in women at high risk.

Source:
Goldenberg RL, Rouse DJ.
Prevention of premature birth.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 339: 313-320.

¹
If you smoke, try to quit. Smoking is linked to premature birth.

Source:
Kolas T, Nakling J, Salvesen KA.
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth among parous women.
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 2000; 79: 644-648.

²
Giving women a hormone called progesterone may help to prevent premature births. But there hasn't been any research on the long-term effects of this treatment.
If you go into labor early, and your water hasn't broken, delaying delivery buys more time for your baby to develop. But doctors will only try to delay delivery if it's safe for you and your baby.
Drugs called calcium channel blockers can delay delivery by reducing or stopping your contractions. They probably delay delivery by a few days, but we're not sure.
Steroid shots speed up the development of your baby's lungs. They may also reduce the risk of your baby having a bleed in the brain (a brain

hemorrhage
Hemorrhage is a word doctors use for bleeding. Any time blood escapes from a blood vessel, it's called a hemorrhage.

hemorrhage).
If your water breaks early, before labor starts, antibiotics reduce your risk of infection. They can also help delay delivery, if that's what's best for you and your baby.

Sources for the information on this page:

Goldenberg RL, Rouse DJ.Prevention of premature birth.New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 339: 313-320.

Kolas T, Nakling J, Salvesen KA.Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth among parous women.Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 2000; 79: 644-648.

This information was last updated on Nov 19, 2008

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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