Acid-Reducing Drugs May Not Be Risky in Pregnancy

Study Shows Proton-Pump Inhibitors Do Not Cause Birth Defects When Used in First Trimester

By Denise Mann
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Nov. 24, 2010 — The popular over-the-counter and prescription acid-blocking drugs proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) do not appear to increase risk of birth defects when taken during the first trimester of pregnancy, a study shows. Continue reading

Painkillers in Pregnancy Linked to Male Infertility

Study Suggests Even Tylenol During Pregnancy May Affect Male Testes

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Nov. 12, 2010 — Common over-the-counter painkillers taken during pregnancy may be to blame for a global rise in male infertility.

Even acetaminophen (Tylenol) may put a developing boy’s future reproductive health at risk, suggest findings from a study of some 2,300 Danish and Finnish women by Henrik Leffers, MD, PhD, of Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues. Continue reading

Laptops Knockout Male Fertility

The news of the week in the reproductive world is that laptops can negatively impact male fertility.  This is true even when a cooling pad is used; and this finding has been capturing the headlines this week. This is a significant potential consequence of prolonged laptop use. We live in an increasingly busy and mobile world where more and more people rely on mobile computing to stay productive anytime and anywhere. Unfortunately, as convenient as laptops may be when it comes to portable computing, there are also some down sides. Continue reading

Smog & Male Infertility

Car exhaust, factory emissions and generator fumes are omnipresent in the lives of people living in urban environments. Most people are aware of the effects on the respiratory system, and on the heart. What is often not known is that this poor air quality can have a direct effect on the reproductive system.

Many environmental health experts, as well as public health specialists, have expressed concern over the level of air pollution in many urban cities and called the attention of government and  members of the public to its attendant effects on human health. Continue reading