Is Maternal Use of Paracetamol during Pregnancy Associated with Anogenital Distance in Male Newborns? The Results from the NELA Birth Cohort

Fuensanta Navarro-Lafuente, Julián J. Arense-Gonzalo, Evdochia Adoamnei, María T. Prieto-Sánchez, María L. Sánchez-Ferrer, Luis García-Marcos, Eva Morales, Jaime Mendiola, Alberto M. Torres-Cantero and the NELA Study Group
Additional contact information
Fuensanta Navarro-Lafuente: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Julián J. Arense-Gonzalo: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Evdochia Adoamnei: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
María T. Prieto-Sánchez: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
María L. Sánchez-Ferrer: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Luis García-Marcos: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Eva Morales: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Jaime Mendiola: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Alberto M. Torres-Cantero: School of Medicine, University Campus of Espinardo, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
the NELA Study Group: Members of the NELA study group listed at the end of the article.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-11

Abstract: Paracetamol is the one of the most commonly used medications during pregnancy. However, its potential antiandrogenic effect has been suggested. The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between maternal paracetamol use during pregnancy and anogenital distance (AGD) in male newborns from a Spanish birth cohort. The study included two hundred and seventy-seven mother-male child pairs with self-reported paracetamol use and frequency during each trimester of pregnancy. AGD measurements were taken employing standardized methods. The associations between maternal paracetamol use and AGD measures were evaluated using linear regression models, adjusting for potential confounders and covariates. Overall, 61.7% of pregnant women consumed paracetamol at any time of pregnancy with an average of 9.43 (SD = 15.33) days throughout pregnancy. No associations between the maternal use of paracetamol or its frequency and AGD measures among different trimesters or during the whole pregnancy were found in the adjusted final models. A non-differential misclassification error may have occurred—the recall of paracetamol intake independent of AGD measurements—introducing bias towards the null hypothesis. Nevertheless, the current evidence suggests that paracetamol might have a potential antiandrogenic effect especially in the early stages of fetal development. Thus, it would be highly recommendable to pursue further studies to elucidate the potential effects of paracetamol in human perinatal health and its use among pregnant women.

Keywords: paracetamol; acetaminophen; anogenital distance; AGD; endocrine disruptors; pregnancy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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