Prophylaxis continues to be an area for discussion in the therapy of the hemophilic child. In fact, standard parameters are still not used in the evaluation of the efficacy of this treatment. At the Milan University Pediatric Clinic we have begun three different prophylactic programs with 52 children with ages ranging from 12 months to 14 years 7 months. We have evaluated the efficacy of these regimes comparing the data obtained in the 12 months following the start of the program with those obtained in the 12 months prior to it. Our data, even though they pertain to a limited number of children, show that continuous prophylaxis is truly efficacious if it is begun early before the onset of an arthopathy. Therapeutic prophylaxis however for the stabilizing of a target joint is usually better accepted by the children and their parents. The high cost of the prophylactic programs can nevertheless be justified by the better quality of life of the patients.