In an announcement on September 22, President Donald Trump said that the use of Tylenol during pregnancy increases the risk of having an autistic baby, contradicting the advice of obstetrics who say that the popular medication is very safe during pregnancy.
“Do not take Tylenol. Beat like hell so as not to take it,” said Trump in a white house briefing.
The president, who was flanked by the American Secretary of Health and Social Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials of the cabinet, said that pregnant women should not take acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, unless they have “extremely high fever”.
“If you can’t finish it, if you can’t do it, that’s what you’re going to do,” said Trump.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was quick to challenge Trump’s claims, saying that there was no clear evidence connecting the use of acetaminophen to autism or other risks to fetal development. Other pains reducing pain and fever, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, include risks during pregnancy, and acetaminophen is the only over -the -counter medication to treat fevers during pregnancy.
Trump’s announcement “is not supported by all scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the numerous and complex causes of neurological challenges in children,” said ACOG president, Dr. Steven Fleischman in a statement. “It is very disturbing that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the support of reliable data.”
Trump said that not treat fevers in pregnant women cannot harm any damage. “There is no drawback not to take it,” he said.
Untreated fever during pregnancy is associated with miscarriage, fetal organ malformations and cardiovascular complications, and even autism, according to a declaration in 2021 of the Society for Materal-Fetal Medicine.
“The conditions that people use of acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are much more dangerous than all theoretical risks,” said Fleischman.
Several studies carried out in the last decade have surveyed whether the acetaminophen increases the risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The results of these studies have been mixed, some showing a possible correlation and others showing no link. None showed a causal connection.
A review of 46 of these studies published in August in the review BMC Environmental Health concluded that there was a link between the prenatal use of acetaminophen and the incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention / hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD). Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, a principal author, said in a statement sent by email to Time that he had discussed the conclusions of the journal with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Kennedy and the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
Baccarelli, dean of the Harvard Faculty Th Chan School of Public Health and Environmental Health Professor, said that the review conclusions: “Caution concerning the use of acetaminopens during pregnancy, in particular heavy or prolonged use – is justified.”
Baccarelli admitted that he was an expert witness in a case involving potential ties between the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders. “This involvement can be perceived as a conflict of interest,” said the revision.
The Trump administration has partially based on the review as the basis of the ad. But many obstetrics experts have questioned the validity of the journal’s conclusions.
Dr. Nathaniel Denicola, an Ob-Gyn who advises ACOG on environmental health problems, says that the problem of the examination is that it was based on studies which were mainly poorly designed and therefore unreliable. “The studies that claimed an association were so deeply imperfect that you cannot draw any conclusion,” he said.
Several studies, for example, were based on the memories of women to determine if and how much acetaminophen they took during their pregnancy. Women were invited to remember these weeks of details, months and, in some cases, years afterwards, says Denicola. “Anyone who was asked:” What did you have for lunch yesterday? ” Knows that you tend to deserve things, even things in the recent past, ”he says.
Most studies have not taken into account the potential influence of genetics on autism, says Denicola – substantial surveillance since genetic factors play an important role in the development of autism.
Better quality studies – in particular a handful of them who have taken into account genetics – have not shown any link between the prenatal use of acetaminophen and the risk of autism, explains Denicola. One of these studies, which was published in 2024 in Jamaexamined electronic medical records of almost 2.5 million children born in Sweden between 1995 and 2019. In an initial analysis that did not control genetic factors, researchers found a small association between women who used acetaminophen during pregnancy and the incidence of autism, ADHD and intellectual handicap. However, when the researchers conducted a follow -up study that compared the brothers and sisters who were exposed to acetaminophen during their mother’s pregnancy to those who were not exposed to the drug, they found no link.
“What it tells us is that the [initial] The association was probably due to genetics, “explains Brian Lee, professor of epidemiology at Drexel University and the study of the study.
Research suggests that autistic people are more likely to suffer from pain conditions such as headaches and migraines and can therefore be more likely to take pain relievers. Pregnant women with higher genetic risk of autism can therefore be more likely to take acetaminophen, says Lee.
Asked about the journal published in August, which included his group Jama Study, Lee affirms that his conclusions were imperfect because they were based on mainly imperfect studies. “Garbage, garbage,” he says.
The correlation is also, in a critical way, no causality, says Lee. “The example I like to give is: eating ice cream is statistically associated with drowning. But ice cream does not drown you.” It turns out that the levels of ice cream and swimming increase both in hot weather.
During the press briefing, Dr. Marty Makary, head of the United States Food and Drug Administration, said that Baccarelli, who co-wrote the exam, said there was a clear causal relationship between the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. Baccarelli, however, was unequivocal in his declaration at the time that the examination did not show a causal link and that more research was necessary “to confirm the association and determine the causality”.
“As the only drug approved for pain and the reduction of fever during pregnancy, acetaminophen remains an important tool for pregnant patients and their doctors. A high fever can present risks both for the mother and the fetus, including the defects of the neural tube and the premature birth,” Baccarelli wrote in the press release. “After having evaluated the evidence, my colleagues and I recommended a balanced approach based on the precautionary principle: patients who need fever or pain reduction during pregnancy should take the lowest effective dose of acetaminophen, for the shortest duration possible, after consultation with their doctor about their individual risk calculation.”
Baccarelli’s advice echoes that most doctors already advise their pregnant patients to do.
Kenvue, the parent company of the Tylenol manufacturer, told the Wall Street Journal In an article published before the briefing according to which the company has “permanently evaluated science” and considers “that there is no causal link between the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and autism”. Kenvue’s actions fell to a hollow of all time on September 22, before Trump’s announcement, Barron reported.
Trump said in the briefing that his administration was dedicated to the confrontation of the “horrible and horrible crisis” of autism. Kennedy said the NIH and other federal health agencies actively sought possible causes of autism, in particular by surveying the potential risks of vaccines. Large -scale studies carried out during the decades have shown no link between vaccines and autism.
The researchers say that there is no unique cause to the range of conditions that fall under the aegis of the autistic spectrum disorder. Instead, experts believe that genetics as well as myriades of environmental factors – including maternal age and health and exposure to pollution and contaminants such as heavy metals – play a role.
After the White House briefing, the FDA announced that it has published an opinion to doctors emphasizing the potential risks of the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy. The agency said it also initiated a change in the safety label for the drug.
