Scientific Report: Taking painkillers in pregnancy damages fertility of unborn girls

Mothers taking paracetamol during pregnancy could unwittingly be damaging the reproductive systems of their baby girls. According to a new study published in the journal, ‘Scientific Reports,’ painkillers may even have lasting effects on their granddaughters’ fertility.

The study showed that human ovaries exposed to paracetamol for a week in laboratories lost up to 40 per cent of their egg cells. If this effect occured in the womb, it could mean baby girls exposed to the common drug would end up being born with fewer eggs.

This would give them fewer years of pregnancy, which may also lead to early menopause, the ‘mailonline’ reported. The researchers said unborn boys could also be affected by the drug, but unlike women, whose egg supply was limited, they keep producing sperm throughout their life time, meaning the danger to their fertility was not as serious.

Paracetamol is a medication used to treat pain and fever. It is typically used for mild to moderate pain relief and it is the only one regarded as safe for pregnant women. Previous studies had shown that female rats and mice exposed to paracetamol in the womb had fewer eggs, smaller ovaries and go on to have fewer babies.

The latest research was the first to show the toll of analgesic drugs, including ibruprofen, on human foetal ovaries. It also found that the drugs may affect the way reproductive systems function in future. The study prompts fresh warnings for pregnant women to only take paracetamol when necessary.

One of the researchers from the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh, Prof. Richard Sharpe said: “This study identifies a potential risk from taking paracetamol or ibuprofen, although we don’t know exactly what effect it would have on human health or what dose would be needed to harm fertility.” He said the evidence that analgesic drugs interfere with production of sperm and egg cells was growing, adding that; “We know majority of women take analgesics in pregnancy for symptoms such as cold, headaches and fever.

“There is a temptation, when paracetamol is there in the cupboard, to take it at the slightest sign of an ache or pain.” The study, led by Dr. Rod Mitchell from MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh and presented at the Fertility 2018 Conference in Liverpool, tested the effect of paracetamol and ibuprofen on human foetal testes and ovaries over a week.