Common Anti-Inflammatory Drugs May Increase Miscarriage Risk

Beyonce, and other women in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, should be careful when using ibuprofen, naproxen, and other non-aspirin NSAID drugs, according to a Canadian study. Non -Steriodal Anti - Inflamatory Drugs, or NSAIDs, can more than double the risk of miscarriages, according to the new research.

The study looked at health records from almost 50-Thousand Canadian women. Anick Berard, who co-authored the study, says women should avoid all NSAIDs for at least the first trimester of pregnancy. Berard and her colleagues determined that taking prescription-strength NSAIDs [the most-common form of NSAID used in Canada] increased the risk of miscarriage by about 2.4 times the rate of women who didn't take those anti-inflamatory drugs. The researchers took into account other possible causes of miscarriages, such as diabetes, hgh blood pressure, asthma, lupus, and depression.

As is usually the case for new research, there are a few qualifiers. Berard admits her team was unable to pinpoint what in NSAIDs might cause miscarriages. Further, the study looked only at prescription-strength drugs, not the over-the-counter level of NSAIDs more common in the US. And at least one expert in maternal fetal medicine warned pregnant women not to overreact to the report. Dr. Hyagriv Simhan, based at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, notes that another common factor in women besides taking NSAIDs may be to blame for the findings. Simhan says women who may have "taken a Motrin" before realizing they were pregnant shouldn't "freak out" about the study's findings.

Are you pregnant, and taking one of the NSAID drugs under investigation? Do you plan to discuss this with your doctor? Let us know what you're told, either here or on our Facebook page.