Conference report: Non-prescription painkillers linked to increased perinatal health risks
Data from Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank, 1985-2015, covering 151,141 pregnancies, and use of paracetamol, aspirin, diclofenac, naproxen and ibuprofen suggests link between increased health risks for pregnancies, where mothers were exposed to ≥1 of these analgesics.
Source:
Pharmaceutical Journal
SPS commentary:
The data, presented in a poster at the 2021 annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology showed that nearly a third (29%) of women had taken at least one of the medicines during pregnancy and baby is around 1.5 times more likely to experience health issues, including neural tube defects, neonatal death and premature delivery before 37 weeks. There was however no significant association between paracetamol use alone and high birth weight, neural tube defects and hypospadias.