Article Synopsis
- Medication overuse headache is common, primarily linked to the excessive use of over-the-counter analgesics, which may disrupt female fertility as indicated by Anti-Müllerian hormone levels.
- An observational study found that after stopping analgesics, Anti-Müllerian hormone levels increased by 21%, suggesting potential recovery of reproductive function.
- Laboratory experiments showed that while analgesics did not lower hormone levels, acetaminophen significantly reduced DNA synthesis in granulosa cells, highlighting concerns over analgesic impact on female reproductive health.
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Article Abstract
Background: Medication overuse headache is a prevalent secondary headache due to the overuse of analgesics, mainly over-the-counter analgesics. Over-the-counter analgesics have been associated with disrupted male endocrinology, while the effects on female endocrinology remain nearly unknown. The aim was to understand the effect of long-term analgesic exposure in females with medication overuse headache on Anti-Müllerian hormone, a surrogate measure of female fertility.
Methods: Using a translational approach, an observational prospective clinical study was conducted to determine the effect of withdrawal therapy in females with medication overuse headache on Anti-Müllerian hormone levels, in combination with pre-clinical investigation of primary granulosa cells to understand the effects of analgesics on granulosa cell function.
Results: We included 21 females (mean-age 30.0 years; SD (7.3)) for Anti-Müllerian hormone -measurement. Anti-Müllerian Hormone increased by 21% from baseline (mean 20.1 pmol/L; SD (8.7)) after withdrawal of analgesics ((mean 24.3 pmol/L; SD (12.0)); = 0.0023). Exposing primary granulosa cells to analgesics (acetaminophen (100 and 200 µM, n = 9-10) and ibuprofen (150 and 200 µM, n = 12-13)) did not reduce Anti-Müllerian hormone levels. In contrast, DNA synthesis in GCs (n = 6) exposed to acetaminophen was reduced by 78% ( = 0.0036) compared to controls, suggesting that cellular proliferation was restricted.
Conclusion: We found that frequent use of over-the-counter analgesics was associated with repressed Anti-Müllerian Hormone levels, likely through disruption of granulosa cell proliferation. Further research is crucial to investigate a potential effect of analgesics on adult female reproductive endocrinology.: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04090333.
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