Transdermal nitroglycerin can lengthen pregnancy in women who go into labor prematurely also it has been assume to lessen illness in the newborn. It is thought to prolong pregnancy by relaxing the uterine smooth muscles and is quite safe during pregnancy. Although, there are a number of medications like tocolytics, which are instrumental in prolonging pregnancy but none of them were effective in dealing with the illness of the newborn. The study is based on 153 women who were subjected to transdermal nitroglycerin or placebo between 24 and 32 weeks gestation. The research concluded that the risk of premature birth before 28 weeks was reduced by 50%. Eleven infants in the placebo group experienced the main outcome — a composite of chronic lung disease, inflammation of the intestines, intraventricular hemorrhage, and a brain disorder called periventricular leukomalacia — compared with just three infants in the nitroglycerin. Moreover, no infant deaths were seen in the nitroglycerin group, while three occurred in the control group. Thus, the doctors postulated that transdermal nitroglycerin as a standard treatment for preterm labor.
