Paracetamol, pregnancy and autism risk: many studies refute this correlation

Linking the use of paracetamol during pregnancy to the risk of autism in children has no "solid evidence," and there are "many" studies that refute this correlation, scientists have said in response to statements by US President Donald Trump and the country's health authorities.

According to Monique Botha, associate professor of Social Psychology and Development at the University of Durham, United Kingdom.

The expert has cited a study, in his view, "the most important" that has been done in this field, carried out by Swedish researchers with data of 2.4 million births (1995-2019) and published in 2024.

The study used actual family data and "found no link between exposure to paracetamol in the uterus and autism, ADHD or subsequent intellectual disability," Botha told the scientific media platform Science Media Centre (SCM).

This suggests that "paracetamol has no causal effect on autism," which, according to Botha, is reinforced by the absence of a dose-related relationship.

"There is no solid evidence or sufficiently reasoned investigation to confirm the existence of such a cause-effect relationship, but the conclusions to the contrary are clear. I am absolutely certain there is no relation," he remarked. 

Relieving the pain of pregnant women "is not easy in itself," and paracetamol is "much safer" than any other option.

He has also pointed out that "there is a risk of stigmatizing families with autistic children, because there may be a widespread belief that they may be caused by them."

In the same vein, the SMC has noted that Dimitrios Siassakos, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at University College in London, has said that autism is the sum of "multiple and often combined factors", especially genetic propensity and sometimes lack of oxygen at birth due to complications in childbirth.

Studies, he says, have shown that any indication of an increase in risk due to the use of paracetamol during pregnancy disappears on its own "at a time when more important factors are considered in the studies." 

In this regard, he points out that any correlation between paracetamol and autism disappeared in the studies that examined the brothers: what was important was the family history and not the use of paracetamol.

For Siassakos, "looking at the characteristics of paracetamol from the wrong perspective may lead to women not using one of the safest drugs for pregnancy, even when they need it."

Tylenol's manufacturer has rejected Trump's claims.

Kenvue pharmacy company, manufacturer of the well-known American paracetamol brand Tylenol, rejected President Donald Trump's statements on Monday. "We disagree with any suggestion against independent science," Kenvee spokeswoman Melissa Witt said in an interview with The New York Times.

"We are deeply concerned about the danger this poses to the health of future mothers," Witt added in statements to Trump's warning.