Acetaminophen is the safest option for pain relief and lowering fever during pregnancy. Anfisa&friends\/Stocksy<\/p>\n
In a new study, researchers concluded that pregnant people can safely take acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, to treat pain and high fever.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The analysis of recent studies shows there is insufficient evidence linking Tylenol use during pregnancy to the risk of\u00a0autism spectrum disorder (ASD)<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)<\/a>\u00a0in children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The researchers said that previous studies suggesting a slight association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and ADHD and autism were flawed. The findings were published on November 10 in\u00a0The BMJTrusted Source<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cExisting evidence does not clearly link maternal [Tylenol] use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in offspring,\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Experts not involved in the study said the researchers\u2019 conclusions are well-founded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe high-quality methodology used in this new umbrella review confirms what experts around the globe have been saying,\u201d said\u00a0Dimitrios Siassakos<\/a>, a professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University College London in England, in a\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0posted on the Science Media Centre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe evidence that links [acetaminophen] use in pregnancy to autism is tenuous and those studies which do report an association are confounded by the association of autism or ADHD with factors shared by families such as genetics, lifestyle etc.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The review comes less than two months after President Donald Trump and members of his administration made\u00a0statements<\/a>\u00a0that linked Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism risk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A key member of the Trump administration, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., had already\u00a0softened his stance<\/a>\u00a0about Tylenol. Kennedy recently said there was no \u201csufficient\u201d evidence that Tylenol is a definitive cause of autism, but reiterated that women should only use Tylenol during pregnancy when \u201cabsolutely necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Here\u2019s what you need to know about Tylenol use during pregnancy, and why experts continue to assert that it\u2019s safe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The large review involved an umbrella analysis of nine systematic reviews that included 40 studies conducted over the past decade. Each study had investigated the potential link between acetaminophen and the risk of a child developing autism or ADHD.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The researchers reported that some of those studies concluded there was a \u201cstrong association\u201d between maternal acetaminophen use and autism and ADHD risks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, the researchers said those studies were flawed and confidence in the findings was \u201clow to critically low.\u201d Among other issues, the researchers said those studies did not make adjustments for familial factors that could have increased the risk of autism or ADHD in some children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPrimary studies that do not adjust for key confounders such as familial genetic and environmental factors, maternal health, indications for [acetaminophen] use, and potential unmeasured confounders cannot accurately estimate the effects of in utero exposure to [acetaminophen] on neurodevelopment in children,\u201d the study authors wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They added that none of the research they reviewed established any biological mechanism between acetaminophen and autism or ADHD.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe results from this extensive study looking at the potential link between acetaminophen during pregnancy and the risk of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were not surprising,\u201d said\u00a0Sherry Ross<\/a>, MD, an OB-GYN and women\u2019s health expert at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in California. Ross wasn\u2019t involved in the study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThis study confirmed there was no association between taking Tylenol during pregnancy increasing the risk of autism in the baby. The exaggerated hype and misrepresentation about acetaminophen increasing the risk of autism and ADHD during pregnancy has been exploited, harmful to pregnant women, and causing unnecessary confusion,\u201d Ross told Healthline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n