Beta-blockers appear to be no more effective and probably equally as safe .
It is unusual for women to change drugs due to side effects .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Improvement in control of maternal blood pressure with use of beta-blockers would be worthwhile only if it were reflected in substantive benefits for mother and /or baby , and none have been clearly demonstrated .
Large r and omised trials are needed to determine whether antihypertensive therapy in general ( rather than beta-blocker therapy specifically ) results in greater benefit than risk , for treatment of mild-moderate pregnancy hypertension .
BACKGROUND Antihypertensives , such as beta-blockers , are used for pregnancy hypertension in the belief these will improve outcome for mother and baby .
OBJECTIVES To assess whether oral beta-blockers are better than placebo , or no beta-blocker , and have advantages over other antihypertensives , for women with mild to moderate pregnancy hypertension .
Atenolol and fetal growth in pregnancies complicated by hypertension.
Atenolol use may be associated with growth retardation when given in pregnancy , although the relationship to trimester of initiation , duration of treatment , and its use as monotherapy is still uncertain . To compare the obstetric and fetal outcome between women receiving atenolol ( as monotherapy ) and other antihypertensive drug monotherapies , and also to investigate the effect of duration of treatment on fetal growth , we performed a retrospective cohort study of 312 pregnancies in 223 women attending an Antenatal Hypertension Clinic .  Atenolol ( as monotherapy ) was given in 78 pregnancies ( 25.0 % ) , other types of antihypertensive drugs as monotherapy were given in 53 pregnancies ( 17.0 % ) , and multiple drug combinations were given in 90 pregnancies ( 28.8 % ) . In 91 pregnancies ( 29.2 % ) no antihypertensive drugs were given . Atenolol was found to be associated with lower birth weight and ponderal index values , with a trend toward a higher prevalence of preterm ( < 37 weeks ) delivery and small-for-gestational-age babies when compared to other antihypertensive drugs as monotherapy , or to no treatment . The adverse effect of atenolol  was more pronounced in women receiving the drug earlier in their pregnancy , and continuing the drug for a longer duration . In conclusion , atenolol should be avoided in the early stages of pregnancy and given with caution at the later stages , as it is associated with fetal growth retardation , which is related to duration of treatment
Beta-blockers appear to be no more effective and probably equally as safe .
It is unusual for women to change drugs due to side effects .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Improvement in control of maternal blood pressure with use of beta-blockers would be worthwhile only if it were reflected in substantive benefits for mother and /or baby , and none have been clearly demonstrated .
Large r and omised trials are needed to determine whether antihypertensive therapy in general ( rather than beta-blocker therapy specifically ) results in greater benefit than risk , for treatment of mild-moderate pregnancy hypertension .
BACKGROUND Antihypertensives , such as beta-blockers , are used for pregnancy hypertension in the belief these will improve outcome for mother and baby .
OBJECTIVES To assess whether oral beta-blockers are better than placebo , or no beta-blocker , and have advantages over other antihypertensives , for women with mild to moderate pregnancy hypertension .