More studies needed on use of acetaminophen prior to pregnancy, U of T researchers say – News@UofT

Using the popular painkiller acetaminophenjust before pregnancy could lead to babies born smaller than usual for their gestational age or with a lower birth weight, a new study by University of Toronto researchers suggests.

The researchers findings, published recently in the journal Pediatric Research, could potentially have implications for women who are trying to get pregnant.

Nobody has examined acetaminophenuse in the three months prior to pregnancy before, says Jasleen Arneja, the studys lead author and a researcher at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

We found that the more frequently a woman was taking acetaminophenin the three months prior to pregnancy, the greater her risk was of having a baby born small for gestational age or with low birth weight.

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in well-known brands like Tylenol, isthe only physician-recommended pain medication available to pregnant women to help address inflammation, painand fever. But some recent studies have found an association betweenacetaminophen-use during pregnancy and neurological disorders including cerebral palsy, ADHDand other behavioural problems.

Arneja says that systematic reviews have so far found these relationships inconclusive, and thather recent studys results requires additional research as well.

We cannot say conclusively that theres a causal relationship, she says.Its important not to overstate the studys results because we dont want to burden pregnant women or those planning for pregnancy.

However, we do think that clinicians who are taking care of women who are planning to get pregnant should take the study into consideration.

Jasleen Arneja, a researcher at U of Ts Dalla Lana School of Health, says that her study should be taken into account by clinicians even if it does not conclusively prove a causal relationship betweenacetaminophen use prior to pregnancy andbabies born small for their gestational age or with low birth weight(photo by Franoise Makanda)

The authors, who included Assistant ProfessorJennifer Brooks and Associate ProfessorRayjean Hung, used data from 1,200 women participating in the Ontario Birth Study at Mount Sinai Hospital. They examined three outcomes: pre-term birth, low birth weight and small-for-gestational-age. Current medical literature suggests that these birth outcomes are linked to an increased risk of various neurodevelopmental disorders in early childhood.

Women who took acetaminophenmore than once a week in the three months before pregnancy had an 82 per cent higher risk of having a baby born small for gestational age and approximately two-fold risk of the baby having low birth weight, compared to women who never took the drug. Moreover, even women who took acetaminophenless than once a week in the three months before pregnancy had a 46 per cent higher risk of having a baby born small for gestational age, compared to women who never took it.

About 60 per cent of the cohort reported using acetaminophenat any point during the study period, according to Arneja.

Research to assess childhood developmental health outcomes in the Ontario Birth Study is still ongoing.

The U of Tresearchers were supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, among others.

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More studies needed on use of acetaminophen prior to pregnancy, U of T researchers say - News@UofT