Open AccessChanges in the pattern of paracetamol use in the periconception period in a Danish cohort
Author(s) -
Ersbøll Anne S.,
Hedegaard Mette,
Damm Peter,
Johansen Marianne,
Tabor Ann,
Hegaard Hanne K.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.1111/aogs.12667
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , danish , cohort , offspring , early pregnancy factor , drug , obstetrics , body mass index , cohort study , pediatrics , gestation , pharmacology , philosophy , linguistics , genetics , biology
Paracetamol is the most commonly used over‐the‐counter drug in pregnancy. It is generally considered to be safe, but prolonged antenatal exposure has been associated with offspring short‐ and long‐term morbidity. Our aim was to describe the pattern of paracetamol use with a focus on frequent ingestion (more than once a week), 3 months before and in early pregnancy. In this cohort, 8650 pregnant women responded to a web‐based clinical questionnaire that included questions about drug use. Paracetamol was the most used drug before and in early pregnancy (35.2% and 6.5% of respondents, respectively). The proportion of frequent users decreased from 3.9% before to 0.9% in early pregnancy. Frequent paracetamol use was associated with smoking, co‐morbidities, body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2 , unplanned pregnancy, no education and inability to understand Danish. A significant decrease in the proportion of women with any paracetamol use in early pregnancy was noted after access to large packs was restricted by legislation.