Study connects painkillers to weakened fertility

These drugs disrupt male hormones. The study looked at 31 healthy Caucasian men between 18 and 35 and gave one group two doses of 600 milligram ibuprofen each per day, and the others dummy placebo pills.

After a fortnight, men taking the painkiller had their luteinizing hormones linked to testosterone and sperm production match the ibuprofen in their blood. They also simultaneously saw their rate of testosterone to luteinizing hormones diminish.

This created a condition linked to weakened fertility, stroke and heart attacks known as compensated hypogonadism in the men affected. A researcher told CNN the impact on the men in the study is reversible but the impact of long-term use is unknown.