Trial lecture - time and place
24.09.2021, 10.15, Auditorium 1, Vilhelm Bjerknes hus
Vaccination against covid-19 in pregnant women. An overview of ethical and epidemiological challenges
Conferral summary
Denne avhandlingen undersøkte hvordan mors bruk av antibiotika eller svake smertestillende i svangerskapet påvirker barnets hjerneutvikling og dets risiko for kreft. Resultatene var betryggende og antydet ingen økt risiko ved kortvarig medisinbruk. Avhandlingen ga også forslag til hvordan fremtidige studier kan gjennomføres for å undersøke sikkerheten av medisiner brukt i svangerskapet.
Main research findings
Safety of antibiotics and mild painkillers during pregnancy
‘Can I take this medication now that I am pregnant?’, is a question that many health care professionals have met during consultations with pregnant women. Between 60% and 96% of pregnant women use medications. Mild painkillers and antibiotics are the most commonly used. Yet, apart from risks of birth defects, little is known about how these medications can affect the unborn child. This thesis focused on brain development and cancer risk in school-aged children. Overall, the findings were reassuring, suggesting no increased risk from medication use of short duration. This supports the existing guidelines on use of antibiotics and mild painkillers during pregnancy. In particular, the thesis found that short-term use of mild painkillers does not seem to affect child brain development. For long-term use, more studies are needed. The thesis also found that the risk of childhood blood cancer (leukaemia) does not seem to differ depending on which of the two most common antibiotics for treatment of urinary tract infections (pivmecillinam or nitrofurantoin) were used during pregnancy. Lastly, the thesis provided suggestions for researchers about how to improve future studies on medication use in pregnancy and brain development or cancer in childhood.
Read more (in Norwegian):
- Store sprik i studier av medisinbruk hos gravide (Titan, 12. juli 2019)
- Gravide og medisinar: – Negative funn er òg viktige (Titan, 14. des. 2020)
- Forskarar sjekkar medisinar for ADHD-forbindelse (Titan, 14. juni 2021)
- Vanskeleg å samanlikna forsking om kvifor barn får kreft (Titan, 25. juni 2021)