Taking ibuprofen is associated with developmental disorders of the testicles of babies exposed in utero in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Ibuprofen should definitely be avoided during pregnancy … A new study from Inserm shows that this drug is likely to cause disturbances in the hormonal system in the fetal testis, with possible consequences on the development of the male urogenital tract. . The results were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Testicular hormones
According to the team of researchers, ibuprofen suppresses the production of various testicular hormones including testosterone, which controls primary and secondary sexual characteristics, and the descent of the testes. These undesirable effects were obtained at doses analogous to the conventional dosage.
Ibuprofen, which can be obtained without a prescription, is one of the most common drugs used by pregnant women. If nearly one in ten women say they took it during their pregnancy, they would actually be up to three in ten to take it on their own, according to studies.
Epidemiological research carried out in recent years has shown an association between taking analgesics during pregnancy and the occurrence of adverse effects in children (low birth weight, asthma, prematurity, etc.).
In the first trimester
Other research “combining epidemiology, in utero experimentation in rats and ex vivo on rat and human organs” has shown that paracetamol and aspirin could disrupt the fetal testicular endocrine system with the consequence of an increased risk of failure. – descent of the testes (cryptorchidism), specifies Inserm. Only the effects of ibuprofen had not yet been tested.
To study the effects of ibuprofen on the human fetal testis, the researchers performed two sets of tests. “In the first series of studies, these testes are cultured, in the second, they are grafted onto mice. The effects of ibuprofen have been studied over periods corresponding to the 1st and 2nd trimesters of pregnancy ”.
However, when the testes corresponding to the 1st trimester of pregnancy are exposed to ibuprofen, the production of testosterone decreases sharply. During the same period, the researchers observed for the first time that ibuprofen also affected “the production of anti-Müllerian hormone by Sertoli cells”, specifies the team. This hormone plays a key role in the masculinization of the genital tract.
“Sensitivity window”
“In addition, the expression of genes encoding the functioning of germ cells, which are the source of sperm formation, is greatly reduced in the presence of ibuprofen”. All of these effects are observed very early in the first trimester, and none are found on tests performed during the second trimester.
“There is a very specific window of sensitivity during the first trimester of fetal development during which ibuprofen appears to present a risk for the future genital and reproductive system of the child,” specify the researchers. All the clues point to great caution in the use of this drug during the first trimester of pregnancy. “
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