WHAT IS MACS?

We don’t know which treatment is better for your baby. The only way for us to find this out is to perform a study like this one. The goal of this study is to compare a single course of ACS to multiple courses. We also wish to learn more about the long-term benefits and safety of giving multiple courses of ACS and so we wish to follow your baby until the age of 5. From this we will learn which therapy is better and in the future be able to give women and their unborn babies the best treatment.  

If you are between 25 and 32 weeks of gestation and you have an increased risk of preterm birth you can join MACS! You will already have received one course of ACS 14-21 days ago. If you agree to participate, your treatment will be determined by ‘randomisation’. This means that you have an equal chance of receiving ACS or a placebo, but neither you nor your doctor will select or know which treatment you receive. (The placebo contains an ineffective ingredient in water that is completely harmless to you.) This is the only way to answer the question as to which treatment is better for you and your baby.