Here's an article I found in my surf around the net. Thought it was interesting.
Robitussin and Birth Defects
If you are using Robitussin or similar drugs and trying to achieve pregnancy, PLEASE READ THIS PAGE. Note that the drug implicated, Dextromethorphan, is in some but not all cough syrups.
The Couple to Couple League (CCL) has always stressed the limited use of PLAIN Robitussin (guaifenesin, generic), without other ingredients, in those rare cases where it may improve cervical mucus enough to increase chances of conception. DON'T GUZZLE IT ALL CYCLE LONG TO "GUARANTEE" CONCEPTION.
Other ingredients have no beneficial effect on fertility, and may be harmful, as the message below implies. Please consult your doctor and NFP teachers before trying it.
--Jim & MM Van Damme
6/24/98
"Dear Cathy and Jim,
My Wife and her friend pulled your article, "A Primer on Natural Family Planning," down from the internet. It is a well-written document that gives a compelling case for Natural Family Planning.
However, on page 7 you recommend guaifenesin, an ingredient in Robitussin cough syrup, as a potential remedy for women who are having fertility problems because of overly short cervical fluid patches. A recent study has shown that another ingredient in Robitussin, Dextromethorphan, causessevere birth defects in chicken embryos. These include neural tube defects such as spinobifita and craniofacial anomalies including cleft lip and palate defects. This was a study published in the January 1998 issue of Pediatric Research by a researcher named Rosenquist. It was a follow up study based on earlier research correlating Robitussin use by pregnant women and severe birth defects in their children.
My wife works for the Cleft Palate foundation and the American Cleft Palate association. Her name is Amy Mackin. You can reach her from 8:30 to 4:30 every day by calling (800)24CLEFT. She tells me she got this information from the Association of Birth Defects in Children. Their number is (800)313-2232. Amy operates a hotline for parents who have children with craniofacial anomalies. She has already had one caller who said she followed advice from the internet telling her to use Robitussin to increase her fertility. The woman gave birth to a child with a cleft. The woman then found the article correlating Robitussin use with clefts.
There is no way of showing that Robitussin caused the cleft palate on that woman's child or any other woman's child. The relavent fact is that she now blames herself for causing her child's cleft. I don't intend to be mean or harsh to you. I found your article to be good, as I stated above. I only ask you to alter the document so that you recommend against using Robitussin to increase fertility, or possibly just don't mention Robitussin or other potentially harmful drugs for which you do not know the side effects in your report. Also, please use your influence on the web to get the word out that a study has linked Robitussin to Birth defects. This information is vitally important because families are following your advice in their attempts at becoming pregnant.
Sincerely,
William A. Mackin
Graduate Student
UNC-CH Department of Biology
mackin@email.unc.edu"
from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/M...h_defects.html
Robitussin and Birth Defects
If you are using Robitussin or similar drugs and trying to achieve pregnancy, PLEASE READ THIS PAGE. Note that the drug implicated, Dextromethorphan, is in some but not all cough syrups.
The Couple to Couple League (CCL) has always stressed the limited use of PLAIN Robitussin (guaifenesin, generic), without other ingredients, in those rare cases where it may improve cervical mucus enough to increase chances of conception. DON'T GUZZLE IT ALL CYCLE LONG TO "GUARANTEE" CONCEPTION.
Other ingredients have no beneficial effect on fertility, and may be harmful, as the message below implies. Please consult your doctor and NFP teachers before trying it.
--Jim & MM Van Damme
6/24/98
"Dear Cathy and Jim,
My Wife and her friend pulled your article, "A Primer on Natural Family Planning," down from the internet. It is a well-written document that gives a compelling case for Natural Family Planning.
However, on page 7 you recommend guaifenesin, an ingredient in Robitussin cough syrup, as a potential remedy for women who are having fertility problems because of overly short cervical fluid patches. A recent study has shown that another ingredient in Robitussin, Dextromethorphan, causessevere birth defects in chicken embryos. These include neural tube defects such as spinobifita and craniofacial anomalies including cleft lip and palate defects. This was a study published in the January 1998 issue of Pediatric Research by a researcher named Rosenquist. It was a follow up study based on earlier research correlating Robitussin use by pregnant women and severe birth defects in their children.
My wife works for the Cleft Palate foundation and the American Cleft Palate association. Her name is Amy Mackin. You can reach her from 8:30 to 4:30 every day by calling (800)24CLEFT. She tells me she got this information from the Association of Birth Defects in Children. Their number is (800)313-2232. Amy operates a hotline for parents who have children with craniofacial anomalies. She has already had one caller who said she followed advice from the internet telling her to use Robitussin to increase her fertility. The woman gave birth to a child with a cleft. The woman then found the article correlating Robitussin use with clefts.
There is no way of showing that Robitussin caused the cleft palate on that woman's child or any other woman's child. The relavent fact is that she now blames herself for causing her child's cleft. I don't intend to be mean or harsh to you. I found your article to be good, as I stated above. I only ask you to alter the document so that you recommend against using Robitussin to increase fertility, or possibly just don't mention Robitussin or other potentially harmful drugs for which you do not know the side effects in your report. Also, please use your influence on the web to get the word out that a study has linked Robitussin to Birth defects. This information is vitally important because families are following your advice in their attempts at becoming pregnant.
Sincerely,
William A. Mackin
Graduate Student
UNC-CH Department of Biology
mackin@email.unc.edu"
from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/M...h_defects.html
