Saturday, November 13, 2010

Pain killers and Future Male Infertility?

A new study published online in the Journal Human Reproduction from Denmark and Finland showed a higher chance of having undescended testicles (which leads to a higher chance of male infertility) in the sons of women who took pain killers during pregnancy (see the link in my newsletter at

http://www.healthbanks.com/PatientPortal/MyPractice.aspx?UAID={A03416B1-1368-44A8-8636-06329078EA5A}&TabID={X}&ArticleID=645787 ).

I think the study is fairly weak and more data is definitely needed to find out if there is an association. That said, I always tell my patients to avoid taking any medication if they can avoid it.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Sins of the Grandfathers

A superb article appeared in the November 8 issue of Newsweek regarding the effects of our lifestyle and diet on epigenetics and their ultimtae effect on future generations entitled "Sins of the Grandfathers, how early=life experiences could cause permanent changes in sperm and eggs": http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/30/how-your-experiences-change-your-sperm-and-eggs.html