London, United Kingdom. European researchers said paracetamol, known as Tylenol in the United States, is safe to use during pregnancy when taken as recommended, after reviewing evidence following claims of a link to autism made by U.S. President Donald Trump last year.
Review published in The Lancet
In a review published on Saturday in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, the researchers said they focused on compiling the best-quality evidence to address the claims.
“Paracetamol is safe to use in pregnancy,” said lead author Asma Khalil, professor of obstetrics and maternal foetal medicine at City St George’s, University of London. She said the key message was reassurance and that the best available evidence, when used as recommended, does not support a causal link with autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.
Background to the review
Khalil said patients had asked about the medication, also known as acetaminophen, after Trump in September told pregnant women not to take the drug. National and international medical groups at the time criticized the comments as not evidence-based.
Guidance on use during pregnancy
Paracetamol/Tylenol is considered the only pain reliever safe for pregnant women, with doctors advising use of the smallest amount for the shortest time to control pain and fever during pregnancy. The researchers noted that untreated pain and fever can be risky for pregnant women and their babies.
Methods and findings
The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, identifying 43 studies and assessing them for quality and bias using a standard tool.
They focused in particular on studies comparing children born to the same mother who took paracetamol/Tylenol during one pregnancy but not another, to account for shared genetic factors and family environments. Three such studies were identified, covering more than 260,000 children assessed for autism, and about 335,000 and 405,000 assessed for ADHD and intellectual disabilities, respectively.
The review found no significant link between use of the drug and any of the conditions studied. The authors said the result remained the same when pooling findings from all high-quality studies assessed.
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