Pregnant women who use painkillers throughout their pregnancies are one-and-a-half times more likely to have complications compared to those who do not, a study has found. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen found there were higher instances of preterm birth, still birth, neonatal death and physical defects among women who regularly took over the counter pain relief such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.
Around 30-80% of women globally take painkillers to relieve common pregnancy symptoms, flu, fever and rheumatological conditions. However, researchers say current advice on which medicines are safe for pregnant women is conflicting. More than 151,000 pregnancies were analysed over a 30-year period and looked at medical notes for those who had taken five common painkillers: paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin, diclofenac and naproxen.
The figures showed the number of women taking painkillers throughout their pregnancies doubled from 2008-2015. While regulators have said paracetamol is safe for pregnant women to take, they have warned about taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin after week 30 of pregnancy.
