During a press conference on Monday, Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended that pregnant women and children stop taking paracetamol, citing that the medication may be linked to autism.
However, the medical organization ACOG warns that untreated fever and pain during pregnancy can cause serious harm and even death in both the fetus and the pregnant woman.
It was in April that US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began an investigation into what actually causes autism. Autism is a neuropsychiatric developmental diagnosis that has increased in several countries in recent years. Some experts argue, however, that this doesn't necessarily mean more people are developing autism, but rather that diagnostic criteria have changed and it's easier to detect.
The Health Secretary has previously stated that there are a number of factors that may contribute to the risk of an autism diagnosis, such as vaccines and environmental factors.
On Monday, Kennedy Jr. presented alongside Trump the conclusions that US health authorities have reached so far regarding the diagnosis, where they believe there is a strong connection between the use of over-the-counter medications in pregnant women and autism in children.
"Not good to take Tylenol"
Trump urged pregnant women not to take paracetamol, which in the US often goes by the brand name Tylenol, and also not to give it to their children.
— Taking Tylenol is not good, Trump said according to British newspaper The Independent. I’ll say it. It’s not good.
Furthermore, the FDA, the US equivalent of drug regulatory agencies, will now update warning labels on over-the-counter medications.
— For this reason the FDA are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary, Trump continued.
Studies disagree
Studies on the subject show different results. A review from Harvard and Mount Sinai, published in August, found for example that paracetamol use may be linked to an increased risk of autism and ADHD. It reviewed results from 46 previous studies, including data from over 100,000 participants. However, the researchers said their review does not show that the substance directly causes neurological disorders and did not recommend that the population should stop taking it.
Another study from 2024, which reviewed data from 2.4 million children over the past 25 years, found no connection between use of the medication during pregnancy and autism.
Risk of not taking it
Following the statement, however, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists warns that pain and fever can be dangerous during pregnancy if left untreated.
"The conditions people use acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are far more dangerous than any theoretical risks and can create severe morbidity and mortality for the pregnant person and the fetus", the group wrote in a statement.
