The risk of miscarriage more than doubles for women who take anti-inflammatory drugs, some of which are available over-the-counter, during early pregnancy, according to a new study.

Researchers report that any type or dosage of non-aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can increase the risk of miscarriage up to 2.4 times. These drugs include naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac and celecoxib.

Canadian researchers looked at nearly 5000 cases of miscarriage, which included 352 women who took non-aspirin NSAIDs.

Compared to women who did not take NSAIDs during early pregnancy, the women who did take NSAIDs alone or in combination were 2.4 times more likely to spontaneously miscarry.

The highest risk was associated with diclofenac alone and the lowest risk was associated with rofecoxib alone. Dosage did not appear to affect risk.

Prior research has found that taking non-aspirin NSAIDs during pregnancy can increase the risk of major congenital deformations.

“Non-aspirin NSAIDs should be used with caution during pregnancy,” the study researchers recommended.

The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

If you’re a smoker who has just found out you’re pregnant, it’s not too late to quit, according to scientists.

A study of over 50,000 pregnancies has confirmed that women who gave up smoking as soon as they were told they were pregnant gave birth to babies with similar birth weights and health to babies born to mothers who had never smoked.

Low birth weight is the most common adverse outcome of smoking during pregnancy, but there are also risks of premature birth, brain damage and congenital abnormalities such as cleft lip.

This is the first study to show that these negative outcomes can be avoided even if the mother waits until pregnancy confirmation to give up smoking.

British researchers collected clinical, lifestyle and socioeconomic data from pregnancies between 2002 and 2010.  They separated women into groups, including those who had never smoked, those who had stopped less than a year before conceiving, those who stopped once the pregnancy was confirmed, and those who continued smoking into pregnancy.

Babies born to mothers who had stopped smoking around conception or as soon as the pregnancy was confirmed had significantly higher birth weights than those born to mothers who had continued to smoke throughout pregnancy.

“Not only was birthweight much better in this group than it was in the groups where the mothers had continued to smoke, but we also found that the babies reached the same gestational age and head circumference as those born to women who had never smoked,” said Professor Nick Macklon, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Southampton, UK.

Prior studies have linked smoking with difficulty getting pregnant, increased risk of miscarriages and early menopause.

“We hope that our research will provide additional encouragement to mothers-to-be to give up cigarettes,” Macklon said.

My husband and I were surprised but excited when we found ourselves unexpectedly pregnant for a third time. I scheduled an appointment with my obstetrician and arrived at her office six weeks and six days into my pregnancy.

My 4-year-old daughter Eve was at preschool and my 20-month-old son David was in the waiting room with my sister. I figured my husband Matt would have to take off days from work over the next nine months so I told him to skip what I expected be an uneventful first appointment.

That Monday, I happily chatted with my doctor. She buzzed one of the nurses during the exam to check if my insurance plan approved a six-week ultrasound. It was and she set up the machine. As the scan started, she stared at the monitor and suddenly the silence took over the room. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Call it mother’s intuition, but I knew I was pregnant four days before I missed my period. I also knew in my heart that I would never meet my baby face-to-face. more »