Miscarriages: A Medical Mystery

I am certain I was told by my OBGYN eight years ago that I could only take Tylenol for pain relief-not ibuprofen(Motrin) or Aleve. I think that has been well known for awhile by people in the industry. However, it's something first time moms may not realize until they go to the doctor. By that time, they may be 8 weeks pregnant and the damage could already be done. So, I think it's great that more women may be notified of this study before they get pregnant.
FROM NBC: Important health news for women who are pregnant, OR trying to conceive: It involves the risk of miscarriage, still in many ways a medical mystery, but while the experts keep trying to learn more about what causes them, and how to prevent them, a new study of 47-thousand women has found one more piece of the puzzle that women may want to consider. And it involves some of the biggest names in pain relievers at the local drugstore.
Like most pregnant women, Ester Yu worries about anything that could harm her unborn child. Yu: "I always try to check with my doctor before needing to take any particular medication." Experts say the study out today reinforces what a good idea that is: Some of the most popular over- the-counter pain relievers -- so-called NSAIDS -- could be cause for concern early in pregnancy.
They include ibuprofen, sold under brand names including Motrin and Advil, and naproxen, sold as Aleve. They already carry warnings against use late in pregnancy. But the study out today by Dr. Anick Berard and her team and the University of Montreal shows that taken EARLY in pregnancy -- during the first first twenty weeks -- the drugs may more than double the risk of miscarriage.
Researchers say acetaminophen, often sold as Tylenol, does not seem to be a problem. Dr. Berard "The studies that we do in pregnant women are certainly not to alarm women, it's to give more information to help women and prescribers --physicians-- to gain better knowledge of what's what's happening with medication use in pregnancy." Experts not involved with the research agree.
Dr. Alan Fleischman, March of Dimes "I think this is an important study. It is confirmatory. There has been other evidence that there are concerns with these kinds of // drugs. Because the effect from these drugs can occur so early in pregnancy, experts -- even the drug makers -- advise that women start talking with their doctor about- any- medications they are taking, as soon as they plan to get pregnant.
Miscarriages are very common -- and while their cause is often unknown, information like this latest study can help Ester Yu and other prospective mothers make the best decisions.
-NewsAnchorMom Jen