An Overview of Infertility Nifedipine, Its Health Risks to Our Reproductive System and the Solution to Reduce Exposure to the Prescription Oral Drug

Nifedipine is a prescription oral drug taken to manage and reduce symptoms of high blood pressure, angina, premature labor and Raynaud’s phenomenon, a disease that affects a person’s blood flow. Through peripheral vasolidation, nifedipine can help lower blood pressure. In preterm labor, it is used to give more time for the baby’s lungs to develop before delivery Though it can be used while pregnant, it is not recommended when nursing. This drug is also used to treat two types of chest pain or angina which are chronic stable angina and vasospastic angina.

Nifedipine is classified as calcium channel blocker, a kind of drug that helps relax the blood vessels throughout the body. It comes in tablet and capsule with brand names Adalat, Procardia and Afeditab. However, the form of drug to be used depends on the disease or condition that a person needs to treat. People who use nifedipine may take it with other prescription drugs to hasten the treatment of specific conditions.

Apparently, the route of exposure of nifedipine is through oral ingestion. People who use this dug may experience various side effects. Common side effects include headache, dizziness, cough, rapid weight gain or weight loss, bloating, shortness of breath and muscle cramps Serious side effects may also happen such as chest pain, low blood pressure, low heart rate, allergic reaction, fluid retention, blurred vision and liver damage with specific symptoms like yellowing of the skin and yellowing of the whites of the eyes. Side effects from nifedipine can increase when a person takes it with certain antibiotics including erythromycin, clarithromycin and dalfopristin.

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Nifedipine is listed on OEHHA‘s Proposition 65 as one of the chemicals that cause toxicity particularly developmental toxicity, male reproductive toxicity and female reproductive toxicity. Nifedipine can affect male and female fertility especially when it is taken for a long period of time.

Though the drug helps reduce the cholesterol control of the membrane, the sperm count is also reduced, causing male infertility. Essentially, calcium is important in sperm development but since nifedipine is a calcium blocker, it also slows the production of sperm, To attest that calcium blockers can cause adverse effects on male fertility, nifedipine along with other calcium-blocking drugs such as verapamil and diltiazem, were used in male rats, Researchers collected the rats’ blood samples and removed their seminal vesicle, prostate, testes and epididymis to weigh themi Results showed that the three drugs significantly reduced sperm count as well as the epididymis, After one month of drug withdrawal, semen parameters and other related changes were refurbished. Researchers have become more interested about the relation of nifedipine and male infertility due to observations that most men who came to infertility centres were also taking calcium blockers discovered from their study that cholesterol synthesis reduced sperm count since loading the sperm with cholesterol can make the male reproductive organ non-functional.

This is why cholesterol metabolism is not a good idea to regulate sperm, Not only men were affected by the use of nifedipine. It also affects female reproductive health since this drug is also used by pregnant women during preterm labor. High level of exposure to this chemical causes different reproductive problems in women such as infertility, menstrual problems, lactation problems, change in sexual behaviour, altered puberty and menopause onset and altered length and outcome of pregnancy. Since nifedipine causes hormonal imbalances, it may eventually cause infertility in women like what it does to men who takes this drug. Reducing Exposure to Nifedipine Since nifedipine is a prescription drug and it is used to treat certain health conditions, a lot of people are still exposed to this toxicant. This is why the only way to avoid exposure from this toxicant is to stop taking it.

It may be effective in treating hypertension and chest pain, but the people suffering from these conditions should know that nifedipine is a toxicant and there are more risks more than benefits so they have to stop taking this drug. Doctors, on the one hand, should also be considerate enough not to prescribe this drug, knowing that this is listed as one of the most toxic chemicals. There are apparently alternative drugs that can be prescribed to patients with angina and high blood pressure. These drugs should be safe, effective and are not toxicants. By using safer drug, men can prevent the negative effects of nifedipine particularly male infertility. In women, particularly pregnant women, exposure avoidance can be achieved through public education, Not only women should be aware of the negative adverse effects of nifedipine but also everyone including children and adults.

They should be warned on this harmful drug and other medications that can cause reproductive problems and certain medical conditions. There should also be a regulation prohibiting the prescription and selling of harmful drugs such as nifedipine. Significantly, spontaneous abortion and sub-fertility should be managed. When a mother has been exposed to a toxicant, there should be a proper surveillance and management of pregnancies. There should also be an ongoing surveillance appropriate neonatal care for babies born by mothers who have been exposed to nifedipine. In the workplace, exposure to toxicants can be prevented by applying various workplace strategies for safety. Apart from chemicals that can be found on drugs, there are also lots of chemicals in the workplace that a person can be exposed of. Some of these chemicals are also proved to be toxicants and can also cause reproductive problems so it is important for workers to be extra careful when dealing with materials that have harmful chemicals.