Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory drug that is mostly prescribed for minor pains, headaches and colds that sometimes develop fever in sick patients. Although it is massively taken by people from all over the world it can cause stomach bleedings, ulcers and it increases the risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
A new study shows that there’s another side effect that we should take into consideration. Ibuprofen has been linked to infertility and hormonal changes in males. The study revealed that that ibuprofen taken in normal doses that are acceptable even for athletes, can lead to a reduced fertility and it is more common in middle-aged men.
Pregnant women should be careful
Moreover, the team of researchers discovered that the risk is even higher for pregnant women as their male babies are affected by both ibuprofen and paracetamol, leading to abnormal development of the babies’ testicles.
Paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin disrupt the secretion of testosterone and there are high chances to give birth to congenital malformations. Every pregnant woman should consult or doctor before taking any of these three substances.
The studied was performed with the help of 31 volunteers (males) with ages between 18 and 35. While 17 of them took the placebo, the rest of 14 men took 600 mg of ibuprofen twice a day, for two weeks. The changes that happened to their bodies after this period of time included a hormonal imbalance caused by the hormones secreted by the pituitary gland which caused compensated hypogonadism (linked to infertility and heart disease).
While the effects are not harmful after only two weeks of treatment, it is still unknown what ibuprofen can do long-term.
