- The most rigorous review to date found that there is no evidence that paracetamol (Tylenol) use in pregnancy increases the risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disabilities.
- This contradicts the information the Trump administration previously suggested around the safety of Tylenol use during pregnancy.
- Experts recommend discussing safe options for pain relief with their doctor.
A new gold-standard systematic review and meta-analysis found that there is no evidence to suggest that the use of paracetamol (Tylenol) during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disabilities.
The research is the latest in a series of large-scale reviews to confirm that paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is not linked to developmental disorders in offspring.
In September 2025, the Trump administration suggested that taking Tylenol during pregnancy may increase the risk of autism among children.
Following the announcement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others nationwide filed lawsuits against the pharmaceutical industry, alleging that manufacturers misled consumers about potential risks.
“The exaggerated hype and misrepresentation about acetaminophen [Tylenol] increasing the risk of autism and ADHD during pregnancy has been exploited, harmful to pregnant women, and causing unnecessary confusion,” Sherry Ross, MD, board certified OB-GYN and Women’s Health Expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, told Healthline. Ross wasn’t involved in the review.
The Lancet review examined 43 existing studies that had the highest quality and most rigorous research methods.
These studies compared pregnancies where the individual had taken paracetamol (Tylenol) to pregnancies where the individual had not taken the medication.
They then pooled the results of sibling-comparison studies in which siblings born to the same mother were compared: one pregnancy included paracetamol exposure, and the other didn’t. This helped control for genetics, family environment, and long-term parental characteristics that traditional studies have not been able to account for.
The sibling-comparison studies included 262,852 children assessed for autism, 335,255 for ADHD, and 406,681 for intellectual disability. It was confirmed that taking paracetamol in pregnancy was not linked to childhood autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability when compared to pregnancies with no paracetamol exposure.
“Our findings suggest that previously reported links are likely to be explained by genetic predisposition or other maternal factors such as fever or underlying pain, rather than a direct effect of the paracetamol itself,” Asma Khalil, professor of obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine at City St George’s, University of London and Consultant Obstetrician, who led the study, said in a press release.
“The message is clear — paracetamol remains a safe option during pregnancy when taken as guided,” she added.
Ross agreed. “Tylenol is commonly used to treat fever, headache, and pain during pregnancy,” she said.
“It is safe to use in pregnancy for these common and potentially dangerous conditions. These frequent complaints during pregnancy are safely treated using Tylenol with minimal risks. The risks of untreated fevers, headaches, and pain during pregnancy may be dangerous for mother and baby and do outweigh the unsupported risks of using Tylenol to treat these harmful symptoms,” Ross continued.
Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism
An umbrella review of systematic reviews published in
The researchers of this review noted that previous studies, which suggested a slight association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism and ADHD, were flawed.
“Existing evidence does not clearly link maternal [Tylenol] use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in offspring,” the researchers wrote.
This review was published just months after the U.S. government announcement regarding the risk of using Tylenol during pregnancy and showed there was not sufficient evidence to support this announcement.
No link between vaccines and autism
A large study of 1.2 million children published in July 2025 found no compelling evidence to suggest a link between childhood vaccines and autism or other chronic health conditions.
This Danish study provides reassuring, compelling evidence on the safety of aluminum in vaccines.
Experts who were not affiliated with the research told Healthline that there have been multitudes of reputable studies on vaccine safety in recent decades, and none have found a definitive link to autism.
“The scientific community has researched this very thoroughly, and there’s no evidence that childhood vaccines cause autism,” said Danelle Fisher, MD, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. Fisher wasn’t involved in the reviews.
Experts reaffirm the importance of children receiving the recommended vaccination schedule to prevent the spread of potentially fatal illnesses, such as measles.
The growing measles outbreak that began in West Texas has been linked to low vaccination rates.
The exact cause(s) of autism is still to be determined,” Ross said. “Credible medical studies suggest autism is thought to be due to genetic and environmental factors. What is known about the cause of autism is [that] it results from a combination of influences.”
“Autism has a strong genetic influence based on mutations of certain genes that impact brain development. Abnormal wiring of the brain in the early development of the baby is also thought to contribute to the case of autism. Maternal infections, exposure to toxins, and pregnancy and delivery complications are potential environmental factors,” Ross continued.
Some genetic factors that may influence the development and diagnosis of ASD include:
While progress has been made in understanding environmental factors, they alone are unlikely to cause ASD. Rather, they may be more likely to increase the risk of development when combined with genetic factors.
Environmental factors may include:
- advanced parental age at the time of conception
- prenatal exposure to certain pesticides and air pollution
- maternal obesity, diabetes, or immune system disorders
- extreme prematurity or very low birth weight
- any difficulty during birth that may lead to periods of oxygen deprivation in the baby’s brain
Research into the exact causes of ASD is ongoing.
