ANTENATAL CORTICOSTEROID THERAPY. Benefits. In 1969, the first study was published which showed that prematurely delivered lambs exposed prenatally to corticosteroids survived longer than placebo-treated control animals.' A randomised clinical trial (RCT) followed which demonstrated that antenatal corticosteroid therapy significantly reduced the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in infants born before 2 weeks gestation and reduced mortality in those born before 37 weeks.2 A meta-analysis has been published on 12 RCTs involving over 3000 women in preterm labour, using primarily 24mg of betamethasone or dexamethasone given in 2-6 divided doses over a 48-hour period.' It showed that antenatal corticosteroid therapy is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of RDS (a) if the infant is born > 24 hours or < 7 days of the treatment, (b) in both male and female infants and (c) even in infants < 31 weeks gestation. It also significantly reduces mortality rate and morbidity such as intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), shortens the duration of hospitalisation and reduces treatment costs. The improvement in survival rate in infants born