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Studies paracetamol harmful to the unborn child
The drug paracetamol is high on the list of ingested painkillers. Whether headache, fever or backache: In many households, the drug is always at hand. However, several studies have highlighted the dangers associated with the drug, including the unborn child.
Over-the-counter pain medication is sold millions of times
Millions of packs of the over-the-counter drug Paracetamol are sold annually. Although studies have shown in recent years that the drug can increase the risk of stomach ulcers, heart attack and stroke at too high doses, it is still found in most German households and is used for complaints such as toothache, back pain or cluster headache , Even expectant mothers are allowed to take it and for toddlers the medicine is available as a suppository. Especially during pregnancy it can be dangerous.
Painkillers apparently harm the unborn child. (Photo: Kzenon / fotolia) Effects on male fetus
During pregnancy, there is a great fear of harming the offspring due to an unhealthy lifestyle or taking medications. As the "Huffington Post" reports, scientists from Edinburgh have now demonstrated on the example of the painkiller acetaminophen, how dangerous such drugs can be for the unborn child. According to the study, published in the journal "Science Translational Medicine", paracetamol has effects on the male fetus during pregnancy even with a single consumption per week. The researchers investigated the information to what extent the intake of acetaminophen is associated with a decrease in the testosterone level. In male babies too low a testosterone level can lead to undescended testicles.
Testosterone dropped significantly
The scientists carried out an experiment with mice for their investigation under the conditions of a human pregnancy. As the "Huffington Post" writes, they have implanted tissue from human testicles into the animals and then given them a commercial dose of paracetamol - either for one day or for a week daily. It was found that the testosterone level did not change in the first 24 hours. But after seven days, testosterone dropped 45 percent with the addition of paracetamol. As a result, the researchers say the fertility of a baby can be significantly damaged. "In about one in six men, these disorders occur," said study leader Richard Sharpe. This phenomenon is known in medicine as the testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS).
Take only a short time and in a low dose
"Paracetamol can be obtained in the pharmacy without a prescription and is often taken without the side effects are considered," says Rod Mitchell, Research Officer at the University of Edinburgh. Although the drug has long been controversial, there are doubts whether taking acetaminophen may harm unborn children: "One must be careful to interpret the links found between taking acetaminophen and diagnosing the child as a causal link," said Christof Schäfer, head of Embryotox, opposite "Spiegel Online". Against this background, the scientists emphasize that paracetamol should be taken for as short a time as possible and in the lowest possible dose. Then it usually comes to no serious side effects and sequelae. (Ad)