A drug used to block uterine contractions could be harmful to babies when it is given to women in premature labor. Magnesium sulfate is a tocolytic, meaning it inhibits uterine contractions. It is the drug most commonly used for this purpose in the US.
The researchers randomly assigned 150 women experiencing preterm labor to magnesium sulfate, another tocolytic, or an inactive placebo. They conducted tests on the babies after birth, and evaluated surviving infants for cerebral palsy at 18 months.
Among 165 infants, levels of magnesium sulfate in the umbilical blood were higher in the 37 infants who had poor outcomes compared with infants that did not fare poorly, the investigators found. The data also suggested that outcomes in infants got worse as the dosage of magnesium sulfate given to their mothers increased.
When the researchers took into account other factors that could account for a poor outcome, such as low birth weight, magnesium sulfate remained a major risk factor. Infants whose mothers were given the drug were more than three times as likely to have poor outcomes.
Magnesium sulfate was introduced into American obstetric practice in the 1970s without being properly tested in a randomized controlled trial. Studies have never shown it is effective for blocking uterine contractions.
However, he added, there is strong evidence that magnesium sulfate is safe and effective when given to pregnant women with a condition called preeclampsia in order to prevent them from having seizures.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology June 2002;186:1111-1118
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
If you know a woman who is pregnant, one of the best things you can do is encourage her to take fish oil. Not only will that decrease her risk of premature delivery, but it will also make her baby more intelligent and resistant to autism (should the parents decide to vaccinate).
The US spends over three billion dollars on premature deliveries. Countless miseries result from a child who does not remain in the womb, properly nurtured, until optimum delivery.
Last weekend I helped celebrate the fifth birthday of my nephew Jacob. Although I have four siblings, I have a special relationship with Jacob's mother, Janet. She was my first office manager, and spent almost fifteen years helping me build my practice. Unfortunately for me, she resigned to become a stay-at-home-mom five years ago.
I did not know the importance of fish oils back then and she was not taking them. She developed HELP, a syndrome similar to preeclampsia, and required the use of IV magnesium. Fortunately, Jacob turned out just fine, except for a severe allergy to nuts that is potentially life threatening. Of course he is not vaccinated so he has stayed healthy.
I can't help believe that had she been on an optimal dose of fish oil, the whole problem could have been avoided.
You can rest assured that Jacob, and the rest of his family, are on fish oils today.
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