Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a common over-the-counter painkiller with hormone disruptive effects. There is little epidemiological evidence on the effect of paracetamol on male fecundity.
According to a new research undertaken by Cecilie Schmidt Stergaard and colleagues, there is no significant negative effect of paracetamol usage on semen quality in this sample of young Danish males. The consequences of high-dose and regular usage, on the other hand, cannot be ruled out. The findings of this study were published in Andrology journal on 15th November, 2021.
The objective of this study was to see if using paracetamol as an oral non-prescription moderate painkiller was related to sperm quality in young males. The data for this cross-sectional investigation came from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS; 2017–2019) cohort of 1,058 young males (18–21 years) in the Danish National Birth Cohort.
Participants filled out a detailed online questionnaire on their health behaviors, including painkiller usage, and gave a sperm sample. The percentage differences (adjusted mean ratios (aMR)) in semen quality features were estimated using negative binomial regression models based on paracetamol usage (no; yes) and frequency of use (Almost never; 1/month; 1/month; 1/week).
The results stated as follows; in all, 28 percent of the 913 individuals having data reported using paracetamol in the previous six months. We discovered that users had a slightly greater total sperm count than non-users, but other sperm parameters were unchanged. The frequency of usage was associated with a reduced total sperm count and morphologically normal sperm cells, mainly among users 1/week; nevertheless, the confidence intervals were broad.
In conclusion, from the findings of this study it is advisable for the young men to restrain from frequent use of paracetamol specially at high doses. However further studies is needed to validate the above effects completely.
Reference:
Østergaard, C. S., Ernst, A., Gaml‐Sørensen, A., Brix, N., Toft, G., Hærvig, K. K., Hougaard, K. S., Bonde, J. P., Tøttenborg, S. S., & Ramlau‐Hansen, C. H. (2021). Use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) as a non‐prescription analgesic and semen quality in young men ‐ a cross‐sectional study. In Andrology. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.13129