Does Tylenol Use during Pregnancy Cause Autism? What the Research Shows
Scientific American7 days
The mounting evidence linking acetaminophen to autism cannot be ignored any longer. Multiple studies suggest prenatal exposure increases neurodevelopmental disorder risks, and the administration is courageously addressing America's autism epidemic with gold-standard science. Acetaminophen may be most dangerous when taken chronically throughout pregnancy, and young children's developing livers struggle to metabolize the drug effectively.
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The largest and most rigorous study of 2.5 million children found zero increased autism risk from acetaminophen when proper controls were used. The tiny 5% preliminary risk completely disappeared when researchers compared siblings, proving the association was due to other family factors, not the medication itself. Acetaminophen remains the safest pain relief option for pregnant women, and fever left untreated poses real dangers to both mother and baby.
The largest and most rigorous study ever conducted on this topic — examining 2.5 million children in Sweden — found absolutely no increased autism risk when proper scientific controls were used. When researchers compared siblings where mothers took acetaminophen during one pregnancy but not another, any apparent risk completely disappeared, proving the association is not real. This administration is cherry-picking weak, conflicting studies while ignoring gold-standard research that definitively shows acetaminophen is safe during pregnancy.
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