Canadian research has revealed that a one-time set of steroid injections for pregnant women at high risk of giving birth prematurely is enough to deal with major problems for the baby. Study revealed that multiple courses of steroids do not improve outcomes after premature birth and may lead to smaller babies.

Study of 1,858 women in 20 countries showed that additional injections every 14 days did not improve the health of the babies and actually resulted in smaller babies. The study subjects received an initial course of injections. About half got additional injections every two weeks up to the 33rd week of pregnancy, or delivery, if that occurred first while the other half placebos at the same intervals.

Dr. Kellie Murphy of the University of Toronto and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto said: "The key findings from our study were that there was no benefit (from the repeated courses of injections) and therefore that repeated doses should not be used."