Common Painkillers Tied to Fertility Problems in Women

Rebecca Lewis June 18, 2015

Here’s another reason not to depend on medications too much for pain and opt for natural approaches instead: young women who regularly use pain relieving medications called NSAIDs might be seriously harming their fertility. These findings were presented on the European League against Rheumatism Congress 2015 in Rome.

Shocking Findings

The researchers found that even the most common pain relieving drugs that are sold without prescription can have a huge toll on a woman’s fertility. The study involved 39 women of childbearing age who had minor back pain. Subjects received one of four treatments. They included NSAIDs diclofenac, etoricoxib, naproxen, and a placebo.

Before starting their treatments, each woman got an ultrasound. The researchers wanted to check on the size of their ovaries, which grow important things called follicles each month. The follicles "rupture" and release an egg when a woman ovulates, but the researchers believe NSAIDs may keep that process from happening.

They also measured the women’s progesterone levels. The hormone is essential for ovulation and for helping a fertilised egg attach to the lining of the womb.

The researchers evaluated 39 women of childbearing age who had minor back pain.

After ten days of medications, the women got another ultrasound so researchers could check on the effects.

The results? Ovulation was far less frequent in patients who were on NSAIDs. Furthermore, those who took diclofenac reduced their ovulation by whipping 93%, whereas those who used naproxen and etoricoxib, ovulation was reduced by about 75%.

Researchers said it was ‘really a shocking finding’.

The women’s progesterone levels dropped too.

After the women stopped taking NSAIDs, their ovulation went back to normal.

Whilst the reported consequences of using the drugs seemed reversible, “these findings highlight the harmful effects NSAIDs may have on fertility,” and may open the door to new emergency contraception methods, says Sami Salman, MD, from the University of Baghdad.

The study "reminds us that we should be knowledgeable about uncommon side effects of drugs we use frequently," says Philip Conaghan, MD, from the University of Leeds in the U.K.

"This work is a timely reminder to consider the role and timing of NSAIDs"

Source of this article: Could These Common Pain-Relievers Lower Fertility?