Paracetamol is taken normally for medical conditions such as fever, pain, headache, cold etc.
Pregnant women must take precautions while taking Paracetamol or pain killers. Reson being that these drugs have been reported to shown adverse effect on the health of baby girls. Paracetamol can cause fertility issues for the girl baby in the mother's womb. This is shown by research done by MRC centre for reproductive health, University of Edinburg. The team done a research work on rats as the reproductive system of rats is similar to the human beings. The pregnant rats were given dosage of paracetamol and indomethacin/aspirin and the offsprings were tested for fertility. The results were as follows (Taken from http://blog.lifecell.in/taking-paracetamol-during-pregnancy-may-affect-fertility-girl-babies) :
Pregnant women must take precautions while taking Paracetamol or pain killers. Reson being that these drugs have been reported to shown adverse effect on the health of baby girls. Paracetamol can cause fertility issues for the girl baby in the mother's womb. This is shown by research done by MRC centre for reproductive health, University of Edinburg. The team done a research work on rats as the reproductive system of rats is similar to the human beings. The pregnant rats were given dosage of paracetamol and indomethacin/aspirin and the offsprings were tested for fertility. The results were as follows (Taken from http://blog.lifecell.in/taking-paracetamol-during-pregnancy-may-affect-fertility-girl-babies) :
- The rats that took the pain medication gave birth to offspring which had less number of eggs and smaller ovaries compared to the offspring of normal rats.
- They also produced fewer babies.
- Infant male offspring had fewer cells to give rise to sperm but their fertility became normal when they reached adulthood.
- The negative effects of paracetamol are found to be greater in female offspring when compared to the male offspring. As the reproductive system of rats is similar to humans, it is wise to take precautions.