Acetaminophen use in pregnancy not linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, large study finds

CNN — Using acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, during pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in children, a new study found. However, a sibling analysis that looked at the exposure and outcome of full sibling pairs — siblings with the same biological parents — found that there was no evidence of increased risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability associated with acetaminophen use during pregnancy, according to the study led by scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Drexel University. “While any medication should always be used judiciously and in consultation with an obstetrician, it appears that acetaminophen is safe.” These new findings refute recent research papers and statements that suggest that there is an increased risk of autism, ADHD and intellectual disability associated with acetaminophen use during pregnancy. While the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency consider acetaminophen to pose minimal risk during pregnancy, a 2021 statement by an international group of scientists and doctors called for precautionary action and recommended that pregnant individuals “forgo unless its use is medically indicated.” And a spate of research papers linked acetaminophen use during pregnancy to increased risk of ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.