Overview
- An international review published November 10 in the BMJ synthesizes prior research and concludes current evidence is insufficient to establish a causal relationship between prenatal paracetamol exposure and autism or ADHD.
- The authors rate several earlier reviews as low or very low quality, citing poor control of confounding factors such as genetics, maternal health and socioeconomic conditions.
- Health agencies including the WHO, FDA, EMA and Brazil’s Anvisa continue to recommend paracetamol for short-term pain or fever during pregnancy when used at recommended doses.
- Researchers advise using the lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary duration and caution against frequent or prolonged use without medical guidance.
- The publication rebuts recent claims by President Donald Trump linking Tylenol use in pregnancy to autism, as independent experts praised the BMJ review’s methodology.