الفهرس 
Preterm LabourOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Preterm delivery is defined by a birth occurring before
37 weeks of gestation or before 259 days from the last
menstrual period. Prematurity is multifactorial and its
incidence has increased during the last decade in most
developed countries, probably due to increased risk factors
responsible for elective prematurity.
prevention of preterm birth has primarily been focused on
the treatment of the woman with symptomatic preterm labor.
This strategy is based on the assumption that clinically
apparent labor is commensurate with the initiation of the
parturitional process and that successful inhibition of labor
should prevent delivery. This approach has not decreased the
incidence of preterm birth but can delay delivery long enough
to allow administration of antenatal steroids and to transfer the
mother and fetus to an appropriate hospital, two interventions
that have consistently been shown to reduce the rates of
perinatal mortality and morbidity
Magnesium Sulphate. The relaxant effect of Magnesium
sulphate in vitro and in vivo on human uterine contractility has
been widely reported. As magnesium is a calcium antagonist,
it decreases calcium intracellular concentration and inhibits
contraction process.
The use of magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) for seizure
prevention in patients with pre-eclampsia and later as tocolytic
agent in premature labor led to serendipitous observations
suggesting that infants exposed to MgSO4 in late pregnancy
were less likely to develop cerebral palsy compared with
infants born at similar gestational ages who were not exposed
to MgSO4.
Calcium channel blockers appear to be more effective in
postponing preterm delivery and reducing neonatal respiratory
distress than adrenergic-receptor agonists .