Magnesium therapy decreased the rate of intrauterine fetal retardation, premature rupture of membranes and premature delivery in risk pregnancies treated with betamimetics.

A higher percentage of intrauterine growth retarded (IUR) infants was found in patients treated with tocolytic drugs, indicating that placental insufficiency could be the cause of both premature labor and IUR. In order to evaluate the results of oral treatment with betamimetics and magnesium at different dosages, 534 (10.9%) pregnancies treated with tocolysis + cerclage (TC) of 4,905 single pregnancies managed in our hospital between 1979 and 1982 wee studied retrospectively. Addition of magnesium to betamimetics: since 1979/1980 3-6 mEq Mg2+ daily per os aimed towards 'cardioprotection', and since 1981, to 'support tocolyis' 30-40 mEq Mg2+ daily per os in the form of Mg aspartate. We compared: mean age, parity, percentage supplemented with Mg and outcome of pregnancy for each year; these parameters were also compared with those of normal pregnancies. The frequency of (completed) gestational periods less than or equal to 36 weeks was about 11% in the TC groups (only 2% in normal pregnancies). However, this was reduced annually from 11.0% in 1979 to 4.9% in 1982. The frequency of premature ruptured membranes (PROM) in premature infants was about 6% in the TC groups from 1979 to 1980. It was reduced to 2.2% in 1981 and to 1.6% in 1982 (normal pregnancies, about 1%). In the TC group the frequency of IUR (less than 10th percentile; Bavarian Perinatal Evaluation; BPE) amounted to 20.5% in 1979, and to 17.5% in 1980. It was reduced to 8.8% in 1981 and to 10.6% in 1982 (normal groups, between 8.3 and 11.5%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)