**4.3 Pharmacological treatments to the mother prior to birth and / or the infant after birth**

There are a number of medications routinely administered to women during pregnancy and to preterm infants. Some of the most commonly used are: 1) antenatal glucocorticoids which are routinely administered either to the mother 'at risk' of preterm delivery (Vidaeff et al., 2003) or to the preterm infant immediately after delivery to accelerate lung maturation in the infant, 2) antibiotics, often administered to the mother with chorioamnionitis and to the infant with postnatal conditions such as necrotising enterocolitis (Gortner et al., 1991) 3) non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen and indomethacin) which are often administered to close a patent ductus arteriosus (Ellison et al., 1983) and 4) inotropes (such as dopamine and dobutamine) which are administered in cases of hypotension and poor blood flow (Osborn et al., 2002). Importantly, and of concern, all these medications have the potential to adversely impact on nephrogenesis.
