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Pregnancy: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) must be avoided at all costs

NSAIDs should be avoided in the early stages of pregnancy due to the increased risk of miscarriage or malformation. Paracetamol should be used instead.

All nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), often taken by women to relieve various aches and pains during pregnancy, expose the foetus to serious risks.

It has long been known that taking NSAIDs during the later stage of pregnancy carries a cardiovascular and renal risk for the foetus. Two recent studies show an increased risk of miscarriage after taking a NSAID during the first three months of pregnancy. A study carried out in the USA among 1,000 women revealed an increased risk of miscarriage, which is even higher if the NSAID was taken for more than one week or close to the time of conception. No links have been found between miscarriage and paracetamol.

A Danish study compared more than 4,000 women who had miscarried and highlighted an increased risk of miscarriage associated with the taking of NSAIDs in the 9 weeks preceding a miscarriage.

Furthermore, recent large-scale studies point to the risk of malformation, especially cardiac, as a result of the mother taking NSAIDS in early pregnancy.

All these results confirm that it is advisable to avoid taking any NSAIDs from the beginning of pregnancy, especially since there is a painkiller that is risk-free for the unborn child, i.e. paracetamol.

©Prescrire March 2007

Source: "AINS en début de grossesse et risque de fausse couche" Rev Prescrire 2007 ; 27 (281) : 192-193.

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