Study of 264,000 Pregnancies Finds Higher Raw Birth-Defect Rates With Painkillers That Disappear After Adjustment

A Ben-Gurion University of the Negev study of 264,000 pregnancies found that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs taken in the first trimester and paracetamol used throughout pregnancy do not increase the risk of major birth defects, @Jerusalem_Post reported. The results were published June 27, 2026, in two journals. The NSAID analysis appeared in PLOS Medicine.

The paracetamol study was published in Human Reproduction Open. Both drew on the siPREG registry of pregnancies at Soroka University Medical Center from 1998 to 2018. More than 20,000 women in the dataset took NSAIDs.

Raw data showed birth-defect rates of 8.2 percent among NSAID-exposed pregnancies and 7.0 percent and 6.9 percent in unexposed groups. After adjustment for fever, inflammatory conditions, pain, maternal background, and chronic illnesses, the associations disappeared. Dr.

Sharon Daniel, senior pediatrician and head of innovation at Clalit Healthcare Services’ southern district and epidemiologist at the university, led the work. “Our results suggest that paracetamol use throughout pregnancy is not independently associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, and that commonly used NSAIDs in early pregnancy are not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations,” she said.

No links were found to defects in the cardiovascular, central nervous, musculoskeletal, digestive, or urinary systems.

Paracetamol showed no association with stillbirth or low birth weight, and third-trimester use carried no increased risk of newborn renal failure or heart complications. The study found no fundamental differences in outcomes between Jewish and Bedouin populations. Researchers noted that NSAIDs remain contraindicated in the third trimester under existing guidelines.