§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines exist for doctors prescribing corticosteroids to pregnant women; and what research has been undertaken into the health effects of corticosteroids on pregnant women and their babies.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Department of Health has not issued specific guidelines on the prescribing of corticosteroids to pregnant women. The Department is aware that both the Royal College of Obstetricians and 161W Gynaecologists and a joint working group of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine and the research unit of the Royal College of Physicians have published guidelines about prescribing corticosteroids to pregnant women for the prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. The Department has also funded a review of research into this matter which was published in "Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth". Attention has been drawn to these guidelines through EL(93)115 which was sent to all national health service managers and directors of public health. Extensive clinical trials have shown that administration of corticosteroids, to women who are about to deliver prematurely, reduces the risk of respiratory distress syndrome in the infant. Copies of "Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth" and EL(93)115 are available in the Library.