Download PDF
Am J Perinatol 1999; 16(7): 321-326
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-993879
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

© 1999 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Fetal Growth and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Women Receiving Prescriptions for Acetaminophen During Pregnancy

Ane Marie Thulstrup1 , 2 , Henrik Toft Sørensen1 , 2 , Gunnar Lauge Nielsen3 , Louise Andersen1 , Dorte Barrett1 , Hendrik Vilstrup1 , Jørn Olsen1 , The EuroMap Study Group4
  • 1Department of Medicine V and The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
  • 2The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark;
  • 3Department of Medicine M, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
  • 4Henrik Toft Sørensen, Jørn Olsen, Andrew Czeizel, Gunnar Lauge Nielsen, Lolkje De Jong, Lorentz Irgens, Ulf Bergman, Charlotte Olesen, Flemming Hald Steffensen, Lars Pedersen, Rolv T. Lie, and Corinne de Vries.
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
04 March 2008 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

ABSTRACT

We studied the association between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and the prevalence of congenital abnormalities and fetal growth. Our study included 123 women who had received a prescription of acetaminophen during pregnancy and/or 30 days before conception and 13,329 controls who did not receive any prescription at all. We found more malformations among those who received a prescription with an odds ratio of 2.3 (95% Cl 1.0-5.4), but the type of malformations did not indicate a causal link. When restricting the study to first time pregnancies, we identified 58 women who received a prescription of acetaminophen during pregnancy and 30 days before conception and 7472 controls. We found no excess risk of malformation [OR = 0.7 (95% Cl 0.1-5.5)], and no evidence that acetaminophen should influence fetal growth.

Keywords

Acetaminophen - pregnancy - congenital malformations - epidemiology