No negative impact of Paracetamol use on semen quality of young men: Danish Study

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a common over-the-counter painkiller with hormone disruptive effects. There is little epidemiological evidence on the effect of paracetamol on male fecundity.

According to a new research undertaken by Cecilie Schmidt Stergaard and colleagues, there is no significant negative effect of paracetamol usage on semen quality in this sample of young Danish males. The consequences of high-dose and regular usage, on the other hand, cannot be ruled out. The findings of this study were published in Andrology journal on 15th November, 2021.

The objective of this study was to see if using paracetamol as an oral non-prescription moderate painkiller was related to sperm quality in young males. The data for this cross-sectional investigation came from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS; 2017–2019) cohort of 1,058 young males (18–21 years) in the Danish National Birth Cohort.

Participants filled out a detailed online questionnaire on their health behaviors, including painkiller usage, and gave a sperm sample. The percentage differences (adjusted mean ratios (aMR)) in semen quality features were estimated using negative binomial regression models based on paracetamol usage (no; yes) and frequency of use (Almost never; 1/month; 1/month; 1/week).