- National Institutes of Health study found paracetamol linked to infertility
- Couples where males had high levels were 35% less likely to conceive
- Paracetamol is a non-prescription painkiller sold as Tylenol and Panadol
- It is also compound produced when body breaks down aniline – a chemical used to make rubber, pesticides and agents in food and cosmetics
- Experts say more research is needed and people should not be alarmed
- Said it is likely that high levels of drug come from the environment
Lizzie Parry For Dailymail.com
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A new study has found couples where the man has high levels of paracetamol in his urine take longer to conceive
A common painkiller could impair a man’s fertility, experts have warned.
Paracetamol, which is also known as acetaminophen and sold under the brand name Tylenol in the US and Panadol in the UK, has been linked to infertility, new research suggests.
Couples where the male partner had high levels of the drug in his urine took longer to conceive, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health
That was compared to men who had lower levels of the compound in their system.
Paracetamol is a non-prescription drug widely used as a pain reliever and to reduce fever.
It is also one of the compounds produced when the body breaks down aniline, a chemical used to make rubber, pesticides, and coloring agents used in food, cosmetics and clothing.
Dr Melissa Smarr, the study’s first author, from NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said: ‘At this point, our findings need to be corroborated by future research, and there is no cause for alarm.’
Dr Smarr explained that the high levels of paracetamol in the urine of certain men, who participated in the study, were unlikely to result from taking the painkillers alone.
The findings, she said, are more consistent with those seen from environmental exposure, either to aniline or paracetamol, or a combination of the two.
But, she said, the findings could have implications for the amount of paracetamol exposure that is deemed acceptable.
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Researchers led by Dr Smarr analyzed data from the Longditudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) study, established to examine how lifestyle and exposure to environmental chemicals may affect fertility.
The LIFE study encompasses fertility data from 501 couples enrolled in four countries in Michigan and 12 counties in Texas, from 2005 to 2009.
The women taking part ranged in age from 18 to 44, and the men were older than 18.
Each participant provided a single urine sample when they joined the study, which was analyzed to measure the concentration of paracetamol.
Couples in which the males had high levels of paracetamol – more than 73.5 ng/ml – were 35 per cent less likely to conceive, compared with those couples where the male had low levels – less than 5.4 ng/ml
Women had a higher average level of the drug in their urine, than men.
But, researchers noted a high level of paracetamol in a woman’s system was not linked to any reduced chances of becoming pregnant.
However, couples in which the males had high levels of paracetamol – more than 73.5 ng/ml – were 35 per cent less likely to conceive, compared with those couples where the male had low levels – less than 5.4 ng/ml.
The researchers stressed that their findings need to be confirmed by larger studies that can better identify the sources of paracetamol, the duration of time the participants are exposed, and the amount of the compound to which they are exposed.
The findings are published online in Human Reproduction.
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