Over-the-Counter Pain Medication Use During Pregnancy

To examine over-the-counter pain medication use in pregnancy.

Secondary analysis of a weighted surveillance survey using the 2019 Iowa Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data. A sample of 759 pregnant women of childbearing age from Iowa was weighted to represent 31,728 Iowa mothers. The weighted sample represents 80% non-Hispanic White mothers, with smaller percentages of Hispanic (10%) mothers and non-Hispanic Black (7%) mothers, consistent with the population of Iowa. Approximately two-thirds of women had commercial insurance (66%), some college or greater education (62%), and were from urban areas (59%).

Descriptive statistics were calculated. Variables include over-the-counter pain reliever usage among all respondents and by race/ethnicity and education level.

Seventy-six percent of women reported taking over-the-counter pain relievers during pregnancy. Of these, 71% reported taking acetaminophen, 11% reported taking ibuprofen, 8% aspirin, and 3% naproxen. Nearly 80% of non-Hispanic White mothers reported taking an over-the-counter pain reliever during pregnancy compared to just 64% of mothers reported as Hispanic. Iowa mothers with a college education or greater were more likely to report over-the-counter pain reliever use during pregnancy (84%) than their counterparts with a high school education or less (64%).

Some medications may cause harm to the fetus if taken at specific time during pregnancy. Reinforcement of current pain medication education, including risks to fetus throughout pregnancy may be needed.