A comprehensive new analysis published Friday in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health has found no evidence that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, taken during pregnancy is associated with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or intellectual disability, contradicting warnings issued last September by President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had urged women to “fight like hell not to take it.”
The seven-person research team from the U.K., Italy, and Sweden used stringent methods, including reviewing only studies with medical records rather than self-reports, excluding poor-quality studies, and analyzing robust sibling-comparison studies, all of which consistently showed no causal link. Dr. Francesco D’Antonio of the University of Chieti said, “After this declaration, there were a lot of mothers who actually were scared to take paracetamol,” while Dr. Asma Khalil of St. George’s Hospital emphasized that acetaminophen “remains the first line treatment that we would recommend if the pregnant women have pain or fever.” Some officials from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department have criticized the review, claiming potential bias in the methodology, but independent experts, including David Mandell, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Alycia Halladay, chief science officer at the Autism Science Foundation, praised the rigor of the study, asserting that the question of acetaminophen causing autism is now settled.
The review highlights the importance of relying on high-quality, evidence-based research for public health guidance and reassures pregnant women that acetaminophen continues to be a safe option for managing pain and fever.