Women with singleton pregnancies who were admitted to the Obstetric High Care Unit at Máxima MC with a risk for preterm delivery were recruited for this study. The aim was to include at least 50 patients. Those who received betamethasone (Celestone Chrondose®, Schering AG, Berlin, Germany; 2 doses of 12 mg intramuscularly, 24 h apart) as part of their standard clinical care were eligible to participate in the study. Co-administration of medications was allowed since this was part of the standard treatment protocol. Nifedipine was administered as a tocolytic to attenuate contractions as needed in cases of threatened preterm labor, at times in conjunction with indomethacin when contractions persisted while betamethasone treatment had not yet been completed. Antibiotics (erythromycin 250 mg, 4 times daily for 10 days) were administered to patients with preterm rupture of membranes to prevent infection. Furthermore, women with preeclampsia typically received antihypertensive drugs (specifically, methyldopa or labetalol). Patients under 18 years of age were not eligible for participation. Metadata collected from participants were indications for betamethasone administration, medications administered during the study period, parity, body mass index (BMI), gestational age at inclusion, and general and obstetric medical history [19 (link)].
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