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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 . |