WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Researchers in Denmark have found that girls whose mothers took paracetamol during pregnancy may have differences in the development of their reproductive organs, according to a study published in Human Reproduction Open.
To investigate this, researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet carried out a study called the Copenhagen Analgesic Study, or COPANA, between March 2020 and November 2022.
A total of 3,425 healthy pregnant women took part in the study. Of these, 685 women joined during the first three months of pregnancy, and their 302 baby girls were examined when they were three months old.
The mothers regularly reported whether they had taken paracetamol and also provided urine samples during early pregnancy. The researchers tested these samples for signs of paracetamol.
The researchers pointed out that the mothers in the study generally used relatively small amounts of paracetamol. None of them took more than the recommended maximum daily dose of 4,000 milligrams. Most mothers used the medicine for common problems such as headaches or muscle and joint pain rather than for serious illnesses.
The researchers divided the babies into groups based on when they were exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy. One group had been exposed before 17 weeks of pregnancy, while another had been exposed from 17 weeks onward. These babies were compared with girls whose mothers had not used paracetamol during pregnancy.
The researchers also examined information from another group of 1,210 girls who were part of the Copenhagen Mother-Child Cohort. These girls were followed from infancy into their teenage years. Their mothers had reported whether they had taken paracetamol during the final three months of pregnancy.
The findings from this second group supported the results of the main study. It showed that girls who had been exposed to paracetamol before birth had smaller ovaries during adolescence and smaller uteruses around puberty. At three months of age, these girls had smaller ovaries, fewer ovarian follicles (the structures that contain immature eggs), smaller uteruses, and lower levels of reproductive hormones compared with girls who were not exposed to paracetamol before birth.
The study stressed that more research is needed to determine whether the differences seen in the ovaries and reproductive organs have any effect on fertility or reproductive health later in life.
'Decisions about pain management during pregnancy should always be individualised and made in consultation with a healthcare professional. Therefore, our findings should not discourage women from using paracetamol when it is medically indicated but rather encourage informed discussions about when medication is necessary and when alternative approaches may be considered,' said study author Dr Margit Bistrup Fischer.
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