Is there any history or incidence of birth defects for a baby that is
conceived while the father is taking flagyl?

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Request for Question Clarification by librariankt-ga on 16 Oct 2004 12:51 PDT

Hi JBanker86,

I've found a number of studies linking Metronidazole (the generic name
for Flagyl) to decreased fertility in male MICE & RATS (including the
study below from Pink), and a few studies suggesting the metronidazole
does not have teratogenic effects in humans.  Would the abstracts of
these articles be of interest to you? I can't give you the complete
articles because of copyright restrictions...

LibrarianKT

This may be of interest:

"Males may be exposed to metronidazole, either during the treatment of
protozoal infections, or as the asymptomatic sex partners of women
with trichomoniasis. The compound has been shown to be readily
distributed to the prostate and testes, but animal experiments have
not associated metronidazole with the induction of sperm
abnormalities. High doses of metronidazole (about 30 times higher than
the maximum oral human dose) did produce infertility and marked
testicular toxicity in rats. The pattern of effects produced by this
agent and its reversibility suggest that it acts by inhibiting
spermatogenesis at the stage of the primary spermatocyte."

http://reprotox.org/samples/1129.html