Researchers raise concerns over paracetamol in pregnancy

When you are pregnant, even everyday decisions can suddenly require more thought. A headache or sore muscles may seem routine, but choosing how to treat pain becomes more complicated when a developing baby also has to be considered.

New Danish research is now drawing attention to this issue. According to Rigshospitalet, with the findings reported by Ritzau and TV 2, researchers have investigated a possible association between paracetamol use during pregnancy and the development of reproductive organs in babies. The study was published in Human Reproduction Open.

Babies examined

The research involved 589 mother-child pairs. Throughout pregnancy, the women recorded their medication use every two weeks, allowing researchers to monitor how much medicine they had taken.

When the babies reached three months of age, researchers used ultrasound scans to examine either their ovaries or testicles.

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Girls whose mothers had reported using paracetamol had ovaries that were 41 percent smaller on average. Researchers also recorded fewer eggs and smaller uteruses. Among boys, testicles were eight percent smaller on average.

Limited exposure

The amount of paracetamol involved was relatively modest. According to Rigshospitalet, the mothers’ average consumption corresponded to approximately one or two days at the maximum recommended dose.

Paracetamol may sometimes be needed during pregnancy, including for severe pain or high fever. Many women in the study, however, had taken it for headaches or muscle pain.

Pain treatment during pregnancy can present a difficult choice because other types of painkillers have known harmful effects on fetal development.

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Questions remain

The results do not prove that paracetamol caused the differences researchers observed. Because this was an observational study, a direct cause-and-effect relationship cannot be established.

Researchers say longer studies following the children into adulthood are needed. These could help determine whether the findings have any later implications for fertility, hormone production, sperm quality or the timing of menopause.

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This article is made and published by Mie Hermansen, who may have used AI in the preparation.