ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology
Prevalence and predictors of analgesic use during early pregnancy in a Brazilian population
Anderson J Martino-Andrade 1,2
Marcella Passoni 2
Mariana Regina Rompkovski 1
Vitória Aline Santana Rios 1
Daniele Cristine Krebs Ribeiro 2
Amanda Atuati Maltoni 1
Carla Giovana Basso 1
Sara Emilia Lima Tolouei 2
Juliana Machado Franco 1
Bianca Manfroi da Silva 1
1. Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
2. Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
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Abstract
Although the use of analgesics is generally not recommended during pregnancy, several studies have reported a high prevalence of use among pregnant women. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of early pregnancy use of analgesics in a Brazilian population, as well as potential sociodemographic and lifestyle predictors. Pregnant women up to 16 weeks of gestation (N = 275) were recruited in Curitiba, Brazil, and specifically asked about the use of paracetamol, dipyrone, ibuprofen, acetylsalicylic acid, and diclofenac, including common brand names and indications. The consumption of any analgesic up to the point of recruitment was reported by 61.5% of women, most commonly for the treatment of headaches. Paracetamol was the most used analgesic (55.3%), followed by dipyrone (13.5%) and ibuprofen (12%), and the use of more than one analgesic was reported by 18.5% of participants. The self-reported health status was a significant predictor. Women reporting fair/poor health were more likely to use any analgesic and paracetamol than those who reported good/excellent health status (OR = 3.05; 95% CI = 1.44 – 6.50). Among paracetamol users, women reporting the consumption of paracetamol and other analgesics ingested more paracetamol pills than those participants who reported the use of paracetamol-only. Similarly, the use of pharmaceuticals other than analgesics was also positively associated with the heavy use of paracetamol (OR = 3.70; 95% CI = 1.08 – 12.74). Overall, the high prevalence of analgesic use during early pregnancy, particularly paracetamol and the combination of different analgesics, highlights the need for further research across different global regions and their potential implications for maternal and fetal health.
Summary
Keywords
Analgesics, Dipyrone, Ibuprofen, paracetamol, pharmaceuticals, Pregnancy
Received
07 November 2025
Accepted
18 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Martino-Andrade, Passoni, Rompkovski, Rios, Ribeiro, Maltoni, Basso, Tolouei, Franco and da Silva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Anderson J Martino-Andrade
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