An offspring exposed to a drug used to prevent miscarriage can lead to an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The study is published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The drug, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), is a synthetic progestogen that was frequently prescribed for women to prevent preterm birth.
Miscarriage
A miscarriage (spontaneous abortion) is the spontaneous loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy.
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‘Progesterone helps the womb grow during pregnancy and prevents a woman from having early contractions that may lead to miscarriage.’
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"Children who were born to women who received the drug during pregnancy have double the rate of cancer across their lifetime compared to children born to women who did not take this drug," said Caitlin C. Murphy, Ph.D., MPH, lead author on the study and associate professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.
Researchers reviewed data from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan on women who received prenatal care between June 1959 and June 1967, and the California Cancer Registry, which traced cancer in offspring through 2019.
![Can Use of Antibiotics In Late Pregnancy Expose Offspring to Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease?]( "Can Use of Antibiotics In Late Pregnancy Expose Offspring to Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease?")
Researchers have found that over-use and unwarranted use of antibiotics during late pregnancy and early development increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease.
Out of more than 18,751 live births, researchers discovered 1,008 cancer diagnoses were made in offspring ages 0 to 58 years. Additionally, a total of 234 offspring were exposed to 17-OHPC during pregnancy.
Offspring exposed in the womb had cancer detected in adulthood more than twice as often as offspring not exposed to the drug - 65% of cancers occurred in adults younger than 50.
These findings suggest taking this drug during pregnancy can disrupt early development, which may increase the risk of cancer decades later.
A new randomized trial also shows there is no benefit of taking 17-OHPC, and that it does not reduce the risk of preterm birth.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed in October 2020 that this particular drug be withdrawn from the market.
Source: Medindia
Can Use of Antibiotics In Late Pregnancy Expose Offspring to Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Researchers have found that over-use and unwarranted use of antibiotics during late pregnancy and early development increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease.
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Out of more than 18,751 live births, researchers discovered 1,008 cancer diagnoses were made in offspring ages 0 to 58 years. Additionally, a total of 234 offspring were exposed to 17-OHPC during pregnancy.
Offspring exposed in the womb had cancer detected in adulthood more than twice as often as offspring not exposed to the drug - 65% of cancers occurred in adults younger than 50.
These findings suggest taking this drug during pregnancy can disrupt early development, which may increase the risk of cancer decades later.
A new randomized trial also shows there is no benefit of taking 17-OHPC, and that it does not reduce the risk of preterm birth.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed in October 2020 that this particular drug be withdrawn from the market.
Source: Medindia
High Fat Diet During Pregnancy Could Increase Chances of Obesity in Offspring
Mothers who stick to a high-fat diet during pregnancy may have an offspring with increased weight and preference for fatty and sugary foods.
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 Mothers’ Obesity During Pregnancy Linked to Bowel Cancer Risk in OffspringPregnant mother's obesity is associated with a heightened risk of bowel cancer in her adult children, revealed study. | Advertisement
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