Washington, Sept 7 : A new study found that women who took any type and dosage of nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in early pregnancy had a 2.4 times greater risk of miscarriage than those who don't use them.

Nonaspirin NSAIDs are a class of drugs that include naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, and celecoxib, and are one of the most common medications used during pregnancy.

Researchers from the University of Montreal, CHU Ste-Justine, Quebec, and Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information, Rennes, France, undertook a study to determine the risk of miscarriage associated with the types and dosages of nonaspirin NSAIDs.

"The use of nonaspirin NSAIDs during early pregnancy is associated with statistically significant risk (2.4-fold increase) of having a spontaneous abortion," said Dr. Anick Berard, from the University of Montreal and the Director of the Research Unit on Medications and Pregnancy at CHU Ste-Justine.

"We consistently saw that the risk of having a spontaneous abortion was associated with gestational use of diclofenac, naproxen, celecoxib, ibuprofen and rofecoxib alone or in combination, suggesting a class effect," he stated.

The highest risk was associated with diclofenac alone and the lowest risk was in users of rofecoxib alone. However, dosage of nonaspirin NSAIDs did not appear to affect risk.

The study was published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). (ANI)