Antenatal Dexamethasone versus Betamethasone on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes: A comparative study

Authors

  • Hina Khan
  • Safia Bibi
  • Neelam
  • Rafia Qasim

Keywords:

Antenatal dexamethasone, betamethasone, maternal outcomes

Abstract

Aim: To compare the maternal and neonatal outcomes of antenatal dexamethasone versus betamethasone in women who were at risk of preterm delivery

Material and method: The present prospective comparative study was carried out at the department of Gynaecology Department, Khalifa Gulnawaz Teaching Hospital Bannu from March 2025 to August 2025 after taking approval from the ethical committee of the hospital. Pregnant women attending the hospital for their antenatal visit with gestational age 24 -34 weeks with risk of preterm birth were included in this study. The sample size was determined using the WHO sample calculator. The required sample size was 152(at least 76 in each group). The study participants were divided in to A and B. Group A received dexamethasone and Group B received Betamethasone. In both groups these drugs were administrated intramuscularly at: 12 mg every 24 hours for two doses.10   Participants were assessed for neonatal and maternal outcomes. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the data. Frequencies and percentages were used to express categorical variables. The mean ± standard deviation was used to express continuous variables. The independent-samples t-test was utilized for normally distributed continuous data, while the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was utilized for categorical variables. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value of less than 0.05.

Results: A total of 152 women were included. The subjects were categorized equally into A and B.  Group B received betamethasone and group A received dexamethasone. Maternal ages were similar between the two groups. When neonatal outcomes were assessed, the results showed that the two corticosteroids had generally similar newborn outcomes, however the dexamethasone group had some statistically better results. When maternal outcomes from women on betamethasone and dexamethasone were compared, it was found that 34 (44.7%) of the women who received dexamethasone & 36 (47.4%) of the women got betamethasone had cesarean sections, whereas 42 (55.3%) & 40 (52.6%) had vaginal deliveries, correspondingly.  In general, the two therapy groups' maternal outcomes were comparable.

Conclusion: Our study concluded that maternal and newborn outcomes from antenatal dexamethasone and betamethasone are similar..

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References

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Published

2026-10-23

How to Cite

1.
Khan H, Bibi S, Neelam, Qasim R. Antenatal Dexamethasone versus Betamethasone on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes: A comparative study. J Neonatal Surg [Internet]. 2026 Oct. 23 [cited 2026 Oct. 29];14(33S):1613-8. Available from: https://jneonatalsurg.com/index.php/jns/article/view/10651

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 33S (2025): Journal of Neonatal Surgery

Section

Original Article

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