Aug. 14, 2003 -- Taking aspirin or other anti-inflammatory painkillers around the time of conception or early in pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage by as much as 80%, according to a new study.

Although these findings need to be confirmed by further studies, researchers say that in the meantime, it may be wise for women who are trying to get pregnant to be aware of this potential risk and avoid using anti-inflammatory painkillers around conception.

Doctors already recommend that women avoid anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy but this study shows that taking them while trying to get pregnant may also be ill advised.

Anti-inflammatory painkillers include prescription and over-the-counter medications that contain the active ingredient ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, and others), naproxen (Aleve), and ketoprofen (Orudis KT).

Acetaminophen is a different type of painkiller -- not anti-inflammatory -- and was not found to carry this same miscarriage risk.

The study appears in the Aug. 16 issue of the British Medical Journal.