Some doctors have claimed that the use of steroids in mothers delivering prematurely may possibly decrease the risk of cerebral palsy for their newborns. Studies have been done to try to prove or disprove this theory, with mixed results. The theory is that the steroids may help reduce inflamation in the babie's brain, thus reducing the risk of that child developing cerebral palsy.
There has been a lot of research done in 2004 attempting to discover whether steroids have any influence on the babies risk of developing cerebral palsy. Some of the studies are not trying to test whether or not there is any effect (they are working from the assumption that steroids do help), but rather which steroid is best suited for the task.
While research seems to be leaning in favor of steroid use as a preventative measure against cerebral palsy, there is still lots of work to be done to come to a satisfactory conclusion. Some of this research you can find below...
