Taking painkillers early in pregnancy may lead to miscarriage

New research finds that taking ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs) early in pregnancy can lead to the risk of miscarriage greatly increase.

The leader of the new study, Dr. Annick Berard, a professor of pharmacy at the University of Montreal and the Institute of Drug and Pregnancy at the Saint-Justin Hospital, said that the study found that taking NSAIDs painkillers early in pregnancy can cause maternal The risk of spontaneous abortion increases by an average of 2.4 times.

Dr. Berard said that the new study only involves the impact of NSAIDs prescribed by doctors on pregnancy, but based on the research, it can be concluded that over-the-counter NSAIDs also increase the risk of miscarriage.

The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, migraine and other diseases usually involves NSAIDs drugs. These medications can provide pain relief in patients who do not have underlying chronic conditions. This drug is commonly used by both general and pregnant patients. Doctors have stopped using such anti-inflammatory analgesics in late pregnancy because studies have found that they interfere with the normal development of the fetal blood circulation system.

New research completed by Dr. Berard and colleagues looks at the adverse effects of using NSAIDs during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The study involved data from nearly 5,000 women in Quebec who had had miscarriages and 5,000 women who had not. The results found that taking NSAIDs in early pregnancy will increase the risk of miscarriage by 2.43 times.

The specific circumstances in which NSAIDs increase the risk of miscarriage are as follows: diclofenac increases the risk of miscarriage by three times, naproxen (Aleve) increases the risk of miscarriage by 2.64 times, and ibuprofen doubles the risk of miscarriage. Mixed use of multiple drugs can increase the risk of miscarriage by 2.64 times.

The specific mechanism by which NSAIDs drugs increase the risk of miscarriage is not completely clear. But researchers believe that such drugs could theoretically interfere with the changes in prostaglandin levels that lead to miscarriage. Dr. Berard said pregnant women occasionally use acetaminophen (acetaminophen) to relieve headaches and other pain, which is relatively safe in early pregnancy.