Paracetamol makes you ‘less attracted to women’ and ‘less masculine’
By Joshua Haigh
A new study has found that paracetamol could make males “less masculine”.
An international study led by the University of Copenhagen, and involving others scientists from around the world, found a link between brain development in unborn males and taking the painkiller.
In research involving mice, the animals became less aggressive and less inclined to mate with females compared to those who were not exposed to the drug while in the womb.
The mice “had a less aggressive territorial display towards intruders of the same gender” and “fewer sexual interactions and ejaculations during mating.”
During foetal development, the genitals and nervous system of male mammals are “masculinised” in a natural process due to the effect of testosterone on the brain.
These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting the need to limit the widespread exposure and use of [paracetamol] by pregnant women,” said researchers.
Professor Ieuan Hughes, of Cambridge university, also told Evening Standard: “While the study provides interesting data and adds to the body of evidence that analgesics like paracetamol can affect the reproductive tract (and now brain) in rodents, it is my view that there is not sufficient evidence in humans to deter pregnant women taking the occasional paracetamol for symptomatic reasons.”