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Pregnancy Painkillers Paracetamol may later become mock to boys
Researchers now found that the use of paracetamol during pregnancy can inhibit the development of male behavioral patterns in mice. The drug can reduce both sex drive and aggressive behavior.
The researchers from the University of Copenhagen found in their study that taking paracetamol during pregnancy can reduce so-called male behavioral patterns. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Reproduction".
The intake of paracetamol during pregnancy leads to changes in behavior in the children. The analgesic inhibits male behavioral patterns and causes female mice to produce fewer eggs in their ovaries later in life. (Image: BestForYou / fotolia.com) Paracetamol damages the development of male behavior
The drug Paracetamol is especially valued for its analgesic effect. Pregnant women should think twice before using acetaminophen. In an animal model, the drug caused the development of male behavior to be suppressed, say the authors of the study.
Paracetamol can cause testicular malformations
Earlier studies had already shown that paracetamol can inhibit the development of the male sex hormone testosterone in fetuses. This increases the risk of testicular malformation in infants. But a reduced testosterone level in the fetal stage is also significant for the behavior of adult males, the scientists explain.
Changes could still be detected in adulthood
A reduced testosterone level means that male characteristics do not develop as they should, researchers say. If the experimental animals were exposed to paracetamol in the fetal stage, they could not copulate in the same way as the group of control animals. The so-called male programming had not been properly established during fetal development, which could be observed even later in adulthood in the animals, the authors add in a press release.
Similar experiments on humans would be inappropriate
The dosage administered to the mice was approximately the recommended dosage for pregnant women. Because the experiments are limited to mice, the results can not be transferred directly to humans, explain the doctors. Given the certainty of the harmful effects of paracetamol in pregnancy, however, similar experiments on humans are inappropriate.
Which male behaviors were affected?
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone. It helps to develop male programming of the brain. The diminished masculine behaviors in mice observed by the researchers were aggressiveness towards other male mice, the ability to copulate, and the propensity for territorial marking. The paracetamol-affected mice were significantly more passive than normal in all three factors. They did not attack other male mice, they had problems multiplying and behaved like female mice when it came to territorial markers, the scientists say.
How does the lack of testosterone affect the brain??
After observing the altered behavior patterns, the researchers looked at the specific effects of a lack of testosterone in the brain. The results were also clear here. The area of the brain that controls the sex drive contained half as many neurons in the paracetamol mice, the experts explain. Inhibition of testosterone also halved activity in a region of the brain that is significant for male characteristics.
Effects on female mice
This study focused on the effects of acetaminophen on male characteristics. The use of paracetamol during pregnancy also influences the later life of female mice, the study authors explain. For example, in 2016, another study found that female mice had fewer eggs in their ovaries if their mothers received paracetamol during pregnancy. As a result, these mice became faster infertile. (As)