A recent study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests that over the counter painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen may not increase a woman's chance of miscarriage if taken early in pregnancy. This contradicts earlier studies, which found that NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) may contribute to miscarriage.

The new study, looked at 3000 pregnant women. While 13% of these women had miscarriages, the women who'd taken NSAIDs early in pregnancy did not seem to be at any greater risk. The study's authors say the new research may disagree with previous findings because earlier studies focused on prescription NSAIDs as opposed to over the counter painkillers. However, the study's authors caution that we can't really ever know if any medication is truly safe for pregnant women. Acetaminophen is generally considered to be the safest painkiller for use during pregnancy and many doctors advise their patients to take nothing at all if possible.

In other news, if you're a fan of Facebook (and I'm trying to do better), you should check out the online memorial garden at https://www.facebook.com/miscarriagememorials. It's a “Memory Garden for Babies Lost Before Their Time”. It's a really nice page where you can post pictures and tell your story. It also includes a link to upcoming pregnancy and infant loss awareness events.

If you visit, be sure to congratulate Deeana Roy whose novel “Baby Dust” was recently featured on Pixel of Ink. Pixel of Ink is a website which promotes books for the Amazon Kindle. I've downloaded the book myself and hope to read it shortly!

October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It will be here before you know it. If your community does not host an event, consider starting one yourself. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance day also has a page on Facebook and you can check that out at https://www.facebook.com/pages/October-15th-Pregnancy-and-Infant-Loss-Remembrance-Day