Exactly how safe taking ibuprofen while pregnant is has been in dispute for some time now. Studies on the effects of the anti-inflammatory drug have tried to find the long-term impacts it might have on the development of a fetus in utero.

A study published Friday in Human Reproduction found that ibuprofen use during the first three months of a pregnancy might put the fetal development of the ovaries in danger. Researchers found evidence that ovarian tissue exposed to ibuprofen during the first three months of development could suffer “dramatic loss” of cells that are necessary for the follicles that help grow female eggs, said a release.

The reason this could lead to fertility issues for women is that when a woman is born, she has a finite number of eggs, and as those eggs die, one a month, that reserve dwindles. If the reserve is low to begin with, she could have a more difficult time getting pregnant as she ages.

To conduct the study the researchers examined “Organotypic cultures of human ovaries obtained from seven to 12 developmental week (DW) fetuses were exposed to ibuprofen,” said the study. The researchers were able to examine 185 samples total to come to the conclusion that ibuprofen could cause developmental damage.

This damage led to ovarian explants that exhibited lower cell number, fewer proliferating cells, increased cell death and the loss of germ cell number, according to the study. One limitation of the study, however, was that the samples were tested outside of the body. The explants were exposed while in culture, rather than in vivo. It was determined that long-term exposure could lead to long-term effects on reproduction capacity in females.

Previous studies have linked the drug with reproduction issues in men as well. Those who took it twice daily for a study developed problems with testosterone levels and developed overworked pituitary glands, a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found.

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