If Husband Is on Painkillers and Trying for Baby
There is a lot of research devoted to evaluating how medications a woman takes affect pregnancy. But what nigh those taken by men?
Much less research has been done in this area, just providers are becoming increasingly aware of the potential touch on a father's medications could have on pregnancy – before and after conception.
I recently researched the paternal condom of anti-rheumatic medications, and while more information must be gathered, findings to date show that almost of those drugs exercise not touch men'southward fertility or pose a take chances to a partner's pregnancy.
Yet, that doesn't mean all medications are rubber. If you plan to male parent a child, talk with your wellness care provider most how your medications might affect fertility and pregnancy, every bit well as options to reduce whatever potential risks.
Related reading: Should I stop taking medication when I'm pregnant?; Which common cold meds are safe during pregnancy
Drugs that could reduce male fertility
Very few drugs are known to impact male fertility permanently. The most common are cytotoxic drugs, which are used in chemotherapy and to treat sure rheumatoid disorders, such as lupus, vasculitis, and severe rheumatoid arthritis.
Before you start taking cytotoxic medication, talk over with your doctor fertility preservation options such as sperm banking.
At that place are some medications that can crusade low sperm counts or reduce sperm move. Some of the more mutual of these include:
- 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors such as Propecia and Avodart to treat prostate enlargement and hair loss
- Blastoff blockers used to treat urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate
- Antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Anti-epilepsy drugs
- Antiretrovirals
Fertility problems associated with these drugs often get abroad after you terminate taking them, although it tin take several months to a year for sperm product to return to normal.
If you're having trouble conceiving while taking a medication with a known negative effect on fertility, talk with your doctor almost whether it'due south safe to stop taking it for several months. Then become a sperm analysis to determine whether the event is the drug or a pre-existing fertility factor.
How a father's medication may touch on a developing baby
Even if your medication does not bear on your fertility, you may all the same be concerned it could harm your babe – before or after conception. The good news is that outcome is quite rare.
While medications you take might exist found in semen, the corporeality is generally very low. Furthermore, absorption in the vagina during sex is also very low, and so potential exposure is unlikely to harm your developing baby.
A 2013 study of 340,000 pregnancies found no increment in adverse pregnancy outcomes among fathers who were prescribed a medication known to be harmful to babies when taken past a significant woman. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women to relieve nausea. Tragically, information technology resulted in severe birth defects in thousands of children.
Today, thalidomide is used to treat Hansen's illness (formerly known every bit leprosy) and some rheumatic disorders, AIDS-related conditions, and cancers. While the levels of thalidomide found in semen have been very depression, the run a risk level for the fetus is enough that we err on the side of caution and recommend men avert the drug for iii months before conception.
Some cytotoxic drugs as well can harm DNA in sperm cells, which tin issue in pregnancy loss, preterm birth, or an increased risk of nascency defects. Again, in these cases your medico may recommend you avoid the drug for three months before trying to conceive.
Why three months? Because sperm formation takes about 74 days and another 12 to 21 days to brand it to the ejaculatory ducts.
Worried almost your medication? Don't hesitate to ask
If you lot and your partner are thinking about becoming parents or your partner is already pregnant, permit your health intendance provider know so you can talk over potential fertility obstacles related to your status or medication and how to mitigate them – whether that means putting a medication on hold, changing to a new ane, or undergoing fertility preservation procedures.
As with anything related to your health, you should always feel comfortable to enquire questions about any prescribed or over-the-counter medication. We want to do everything we can to keep y'all healthy while also helping you achieve your family goals.
To talk with a doctor about how medications may touch on a electric current or future pregnancy, call 214-645-8300 or request an appointment online .
Source: https://utswmed.org/medblog/fathers-medication-pregnancy/
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