Are you sabotaging your fertility by taking these pills?

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that at least 70-80% of women who step into my clinic take painkillers regularly. Some for headaches, most for period pain, and others for general aches and pains. That’s a lot of pill popping that many consider “normal”. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have a problem with people taking medication when they are truly necessary, but often I find people are a bit trigger happy when it comes to taking painkillers, and unbeknownst to many women, it may be stopping you from getting pregnant

Could taking painkillers so often really be having such an effect?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but yes indeed, taking painkillers on a constant basis such as Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDS) aka Nurofen, Advil can indeed have a negative impact on your ability to conceive.

In one small 2015 study they found that after 10 days of use, 75% of women did not ovulate. The good news was that lack of ovulation was found to be reversible after discontinuing NSAIDs.

Are there any other impacts on my body?

Like all medication, unfortunately, there is always more than one drawback or side effect. One of those drawbacks is Gut health, specifically increasing gut hyperpermeability (leaky gut). “Leaky gut,” basically refers to how much stuff is allowed to pass through the lining of the gut. Although some permeability is needed too much means undigested food particles make it into the digestive system where they would not otherwise end up if you didn’t have this issue. This will cause all sorts of havoc to your immune system, mood, hormones and digestive system.

As mentioned above though, cessation of painkillers can reverse things quickly, if however, the long-term use has already affected the gut then things may take a little longer. There’s no need to panic though as many of these issues can be resolved when working with a holistic practitioner such as myself😊

Next time you see your friend popping a pill to help their headache or period pain, show them this article and maybe just maybe they’ll think twice