PROTECT Me: Assessing Antenatal Maternal Melatonin Supplementation in Fetal Growth Restriction to Improve Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) complicates 1 in 14 Australian pregnancies and over 30 million globally. FGR significantly increases in the risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and is a recognised causal pathway to the neurodevelopmental injury underlying subsequent cognitive and behavioural impairment and cerebral palsy. This is the first phase III randomised, placebo-controlled trial assessing the use of melatonin, a cheap and widely available supplement, in pregnancies complicated by early onset FGR to protect the unborn fetal brain and improve subsequent neurodevelopmental outcomes.