According to a recent US study at The National Institute of Child Health and Development in Maryland, USA low dose aspirin could improve pregnancy rates in some women due to its anti-inflammatory effects. There are both advocates and critics of this new information, as summarised below.
The US Study On Aspirin and Fertility
The original study, called the EAGeR (Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction) was administered in 2014 to 1128 female participants who had previously suffered from a miscarriage. As mentioned, it was conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Maryland, USA. Participants were given either aspirin or a placebo- neither the researchers nor the participants were aware of who was given aspirin and who was given the placebo.
Finding From US The Study On Aspirin and Fertility
Originally the study showed that taking aspirin would only improve the rate of pregnancy for women who had had a miscarriage in the last year. The study which we refer to in this article is a more recent analysis of the EAGer findings.
The EAGer results were analysed a second time for the presence of a blood marker named C-reactive protein (CRP). Data showed that women with a higher CRP at baseline had lower pregnancy rates. This may be due to the fact that aspirin reduces inflammation in the body. The women with higher CRP levels who took aspirin had increased pregnancy rates of 17 percent. This prompted professor Richard Paulson at an annual meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine to recommend that women who were attempting to conceive take daily low doses of aspirin.
Criticisms of Using Aspirin to Increase Fertility
Not all fertility experts agree with this recommendation, especially in the UK. Dr. Adam Balen, chair of the British Fertility Society says that these findings warrant further study and warns that there may be instances in which aspirin could reduce the chances of fertility, as documented in The Pharmaceutical Journal.
The spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has also weighed in on the possible negative effects of regularly taking aspirin when you are pregnant. These effects include stomach ulcers, asthma and the potential for the aspirin to cross into the fetus’s bloodstream.
Despite this, there has been much in the media suggesting that aspirin’s ability to increase blood flow to the pelvis and thicken the endrometrial walls can help with fertility; especially for women who have had previous miscarriages. Currently, the debate continues and the current recommendation from the NHS is to consult your GP if you are trying to get pregnant and considering taking aspirin regularly. At Concept our doctors sometimes advise patients to take aspirin but we strongly request patients not to self-medicate, whether it is aspirin or anything else, without instructions from a doctor.
