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We studied the association between intake of non-prescription analgesics and semen quality and male reproductive hormone levels in a cross-sectional study among 1493 men. The men provided one semen (n = 1493) and blood sample (n = 1056) and filled in questionnaires on use of non-prescription analgesics (paracetamol, NSAIDs and combination drugs (yes/no)). Adjusting for age, study and other covariates, we observed no association between intake of non-prescription analgesics and markers of semen quality. Adjusting for age and time of day of blood sampling, users of non-prescription analgesics had a 10.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0–17.1%) higher testosterone level than non-users. When we stratified by medication type, the association between analgesics and higher testosterone was observed between users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and combination drugs but not paracetamol. This study suggests that use of non-prescription analgesics is associated with slightly higher serum testosterone levels than non-use.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal or early-life exposures to environmental contaminants may contribute to an increased risk of asthma and allergies in children. We aimed to the explore associations of prenatal exposures to a large set of environmental chemical contaminants with asthma and eczema in school-age children.METHODS: We studied 1024 mother-child pairs from Greenland and Ukraine from the INUENDO birth cohort. Data were collected by means of an interview-based questionnaire when the children were 5-9 years of age. Questions from the ISAAC study were used to define asthma, eczema, and wheeze. We applied principal components analysis (PCA) to sixteen contaminants in maternal serum sampled during pregnancy, including perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), metabolites of diethylhexyl (DEHP) and diisononyl (DiNP) phthalates, PCB-153, and p,p'-DDE. Scores of five principal components (PCs) explaining 70% of the variance were included in multiple logistic regression models.RESULTS: In a meta-analysis that included both populations, the PC2 score, reflecting exposure to DiNP, was negatively associated with current eczema (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52-0.96). Other associations were not consistent between the two populations. In Ukrainian children, the PC3 score (DEHP) was positively associated with current wheeze (adjusted OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.03-2.37), whereas the PC5 score, dominated by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), was inversely associated with current wheeze (OR 0.64, 0.41-0.99). In Greenlandic children, a negative association of PC4 (organochlorines) with ever eczema (OR 0.78, 0.61-0.99) was found.CONCLUSIONS: We found limited evidence to support a link between prenatal exposure to environmental chemical contaminants and childhood asthma and eczema.