Ibuprofen can cause problems of male sterility

Male fertility rates are marking declines around the world, while researchers have been aiming to see if ibuprofen is contributing to this problem.

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is the medicine that is sold without description for the treatment of short-term pain, inflammation by injuries and flu. Health professionals may recommend using this drug for long - term use.

Ibuprofen is known to increase the risks of heart and brain attacks if it is regularly used for high, long - term doses.

Study

French and Danish research has analysed 31 athletic males between the ages of 18 and 35 years.

Half the group had used 600mg ibuprofen twice a day. The maximum dose recommended in the US is 800mg to four times per day for two weeks.

The other half had used placebo (a deceptive pill that is empty and has no effect). The samples were taken before and after the study to compare.

Those who had used ibuprofen had been more inclined to have testicular problems, which means that men had been less inclined to become fathers. This had been more common among older men than among young men.

However, other health experts show that this study is of small sizes, and until further studies are conducted, they recommend that men continue to use ibuprofen if necessary.