A recent study from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, found that taking common painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen during pregnancy could affect the reproductive health of the fetus.
When you are pregnant, it is better to limit your intake of medications as much as possible, even those that are a priori authorized during pregnancy, such as paracetamol.
This is revealed by a new study conducted by the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. According to them, the common painkillers paracetamol and ibuprofen are not without danger when you are pregnant, on the reproductive health of your future child: they can affect her fertility but also that of her descendants by leaving traces on her. DNA.
Effects on the baby’s fertility
To reach this conclusion, the scientists studied the effects of paracetamol and ibuprofen on samples of fetal testes and ovaries. When cultured, these human tissues were exposed to either drug for a week. The finding is alarming: the ovaries exposed to paracetamol had 40% fewer germ cells (i.e. egg cells). Ovaries exposed to ibuprofen saw their germ cell counts cut in half.
The effects of both painkillers are also clearly visible in boys. The cultured testicular tissue contained about a quarter less sperm-producing cells after exposure to paracetamol or ibuprofen.
The team of researchers also carried out their experiment on mice that received a transplant of human testicular tissue. There again, they draw the same observation: after only one day of treatment with an equivalent human dose of paracetamol, the number of sperm-producing cells in the transplanted tissue fell by 17%. After a week of drug treatment, there were almost a third fewer cells.
No ibuprofen after the 2e trimester
According to researchers, this exposure to paracetamol or ibuprofen during pregnancy may not only affect the fertility of the unborn child, but also that of future generations. They discovered that these two painkillers are able to modify the structure of the DNA of cells, called epigenetic marks.
This is not the first time that researchers have investigated the link between taking painkillers during pregnancy and impaired fertility. An earlier study in rats had shown that administration of paracetamol during pregnancy resulted in reduction of germ cells in female offspring. This affected their fertility and the fertility of females in subsequent generations.
Other studies, including one published in March 2017 by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) also pointed to the consequences of taking ibuprofen during pregnancy on the development of the male reproductive system. .
For Dr Rod Mitchell, who led research at the MRC Center for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh, women should be encouraged “to think carefully before taking pain relievers during pregnancy and to follow existing guidelines – in taking the lowest possible dose for the shortest time possible “. This especially applies to paracetamol. Ibuprofen is strongly discouraged in the 3rd trimester because of the baby’s heart and lung risks.
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