on PinterestA new gold standard review confirms that paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is not linked to autism or ADHD.
on PinterestA new gold standard review confirms that paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is not linked to autism or ADHD. Dobrila Vignjevic/Getty Images
- 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.
The results were recently published on January 16 in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health.
In September 2025, the Trump administration suggested that taking Tylenol during pregnancy may raise the risk of autism in children.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then initiated label changes on Tylenol to include a mention of the possible association between the medication and the risk of autism and ADHD.
Following the announcement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others nationwide filed lawsuits against the pharmaceutical industry, alleging that manufacturers misled consumers about the potential risks of Tylenol use during pregnancy.
“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.
Despite the findings of the latest review, federal health officials upheld their position on the possible risks.
In a statement d with Healthline, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said that experts have expressed concern about the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy.
HHS cited Andrea Baccarelli, MD, the Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, who said, “There is a causal relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and the [neurodevelopmental disorders] NDDs of ADHD and ASD and the related symptomology.”
Here’s what you need to know about the current evidence on acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
No causal link between paracetamol and autism
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
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