One of the questions likely to occur to pregnant women is that of Advil and pregnancy, and whether this drug is safe to take during these nine months of a woman’s life.
Advil is the brand name of the ibuprofen formulation, which is defined as a non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug used for reducing fever and pain particularly when there is an inflammation component in the pain.
Such drugs also go by brand names such as Motrin, Nurofen and Nuprin.
Advil has wide application – it is used for muscle aches, joint pain, arthritis pain, for reliving headaches, and back aches, for body ache as a result of the flu, for menstrual pain, toothache and so on.
It isn’t just Advil and pregnancy, ibuprofen drugs are known to have some very serious side effects otherwise as well – the website of the product as well as the packaging of Advil carries the statutory warning that the drug could possibly have certain side effects even among non pregnant individuals.
People who are allergic to aspirin may find that taking Advil will cause allergic reactions such as hives, swelling, rash, blisters, wheezing and so on.
- In some cases non-steroidal inflammatory drugs could cause stomach bleeding. The danger of this rises among older people, those who are on blood thinning medication, who have ulcers, who have more than three alcoholic drinks a day, or have larger than prescribed doses of the medication.
- People with heart burn, high blood pressure, liver or kidney problems, asthma, and those who are on certain medications are advised to take Advil only under medical supervision, though this is an over the counter medicine.
- There is also some evidence to suggest that ibuprofen may cause certain hormonal imbalances and make it slightly more difficult to get pregnant and that women who used it at the time of conception had a slightly higher risk of having a miscarriage.
What pregnant women should known about Advil and pregnancy, is that this medication is best avoided in pregnancy. The possible impacts of Advil in pregnancy are not very well studied, but the guideline about the drug is that it is best avoided in pregnancy. Â This is particularly true for the third trimester of the pregnancy.
Advil during the third trimester of pregnancy is associated with a number of possible complications.
- Advil and pregnancy is associated with lowering of levels of amniotic fluid levels.
- The drug could cause the passage in the baby’s heart to close prematurely, which could result in heart damage, lung damage or even death.
- There are also concerns that ibuprofen intake during the third trimester could cause problems with labor – that it could delay labor or prolong the process of labor.
Further there is also some evidence to suggest that there is a negative correlation between Advil and the pregnancy during the first trimester as well.
A correlation between certain birth defects and taking Advil in the first trimester have been seen, however the research has not been able to show that it is in fact the ibuprofen (and not any other drug or any maternal illness) that was responsible for the birth defect.
The bottom line about Advil and pregnancy is that it is best avoided; particularly during the third trimester. However if dose or two was consumed during the earlier part of the pregnancy, it is unlikely to have caused any harm – ultimately the possible risks and benefits are to be weighed while taking it and should be discussed with the physician.
