DANGER! Men, expectant women, avoid these painkillers or else……

One of the commonly used drug containing ibuprofen in Kenya.

A new study has found a link between high intake of ibuprofen and male infertility, including changes to male hormones. 

The study, which took place in Denmark and France, found out that heavy usage of the everyday pain medicine ‘alters human testicular physiology’.

Ibuprofen is very common an anti-inflammatory that is used to treat fevers and pain and is sold under a wide variety of brand names across the world; the most common being its first registered trademark name of Brufen, along with Advil, Motrin, and Nurofen.

This drug might be great for a bit of mild pain relief - but Danish scientists discovered men, aged between 18 and 35, developed a sexual hormone dysfunction condition called compensated hypogonadism after taking too much of the drug. This condition, generally associated with elderly men and linked to reproductive and physical disorders, including infertility, results in the body having higher levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) than testosterone. 

This is a problem, as the function of LH is to stimulate the production of testosterone, and not to significantly surpass testosterone levels.

The new study is a continuation of research that began with pregnant women in which they were exploring the health effects when a mother-to-be took any one of the mild pain relievers found in medicine chests around the globe: aspirin, acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol and sold under the brand name Tylenol) and ibuprofen.

Their early experiments showed that when taken during pregnancy, all three of these mild medicines affected the testicles of male babies. Testicles not only produce sperm, they secrete testosterone, the primary male sex hormone.

All three drugs then are ‘anti-androgenic’ meaning they disrupt male hormones. They are said to also increase the likelihood that male babies would be born with congenital malformations.

It was noted that pregnant and nursing women should always ask a health professional before using medicines.

A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen is often taken by athletes, including Olympians and professional soccer players for example, before an event to prevent pain.

The study isn't the first to suggest that ibuprofen could be causing more harm than good. Research released in February 2017 also found that it could increase the risk of heart attacks. A similar study in 2016 also found that the common painkiller could exacerbate heart failure.