Objective: Comparing antenatal betamethasone and dexamethasone in decreasing morbid-ities related with preterm labor in neonates.

Materials and methods: Randomized, double-blind, comparator-controlled study compar-ing the effect of antenatal betamethasone with dexamethasone in preventing three major preterm labor morbidities; respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in neonates of mothers with preterm labor be-tween 29 and 34 weeks at Imam Hussein Hospital, Iran. One hundred-fifty singleton preg-nant women with preterm labor were recruited to the study according to eligibility criteria. Patients were randomized to receive either betamethasone or dexamethasone.

Results: There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to baseline characteristics. The rates of RDS were 26 (36.6%) in betamethasone and 25 (34.3%) in dexamethasone (RR= 1.07, 95% CI: 0.69-1.66), IVH were 7 (9.9%) in betamethasone and 6 (8.2%) in dexamethasone (RR= 1.20, 95% CI: 0.42-3.39), NEC was 5 (7.04%) in be-tamethasone and 2 (2.7%) in dexamethasone (RR= 2.57, 95% CI: 0.51-12.82) groups. Neo-natal mortality was 8 (11.3%) in betamethasone and 13 (17.8%) in dexamethasone (RR= 1.08, 95% CI: 0.94-1.23) groups.

Conclusion: Betamethasone and dexamethasone are comparable in reducing the rate of morbidities and mortality of preterm neonates.