Does taking naproxen increase the chance for miscarriage?
Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. Some studies have suggested that taking naproxen may increase the chance of miscarriage. As there can be many causes of miscarriage, it is hard to know if a medication, the medical condition, or other factors are the cause of a miscarriage.
Does taking naproxen increase the chance of birth defects?
Every pregnancy starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a birth defect. This is called the background risk. Studies do not agree if naproxen does or does not increase birth defects.
Results from a few large studies on NSAIDs, including naproxen, did not show an increased chance of birth defects. Another study looking at 23 pregnancies exposed to naproxen did not find an increased chance of birth defects.
However, some studies have reported a small increased chance for heart defects when both naproxen and other NSAIDs are used in early pregnancy. An association with cleft lip and palate (an opening in the lip and / or the roof of the mouth) has also been reported, but has not been proven. It is not known if naproxen was the cause of the birth defects in these studies, or if they were due to other factors such as the medical conditions being treated.
Does taking naproxen in pregnancy increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems?
Naproxen should only be used under a healthcare provider’s watch, particularly in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Your healthcare providers can closely monitor your pregnancy if you need to use naproxen during your pregnancy.
One study found that using naproxen during the first trimester increases the chance of the baby being smaller than expected (small for gestational age).
Using an NSAID in the 2nd half of pregnancy might lower the amount of amniotic fluid (liquid that surrounds the fetus in the uterus). If there is not enough amniotic fluid (called oligohydramnios) other problems could happen for the fetus, such as damage to the kidneys, poor lung development, joint contractures (joints become stiff or unable to move), or even death. In some cases, oligohydramnios requires an early delivery through labor induction (when the healthcare provider uses a medication to start labor early) or c-section.
Naproxen use later in pregnancy might also cause narrowing of blood vessels in the fetus.
Does taking naproxen in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?
This is not known for a number of reasons. It is difficult to connect later learning problems to one exposure during pregnancy. There is also no study that checks on later learning with naproxen use only in a pregnancy. Studies that have been done on this topic for NSAIDs in general do not agree if there is or is not a higher chance for learning or attention problems. Studies that have suggested a possible association have study design limitations that do not allow us to know if this finding was linked to the medication or other factors, such as the reason the person took an NSAID.
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