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Is Tylenol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy actually linked or a cause of autism? A large recent study says NO - there is no link between acetaminophen (also called paracetamol) use during pregnancy and autism. Whew..

The long-running well-done study conducted in Hong Kong did NOT find a link with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the children born to women who took paracetamol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy. Dose taken and timing (taken early or late in pregnancy) did not change the results of the study. The study included 708,020 mother-child pairs (of these approximately 43.3% had prenatal paracetamol exposure). and they were studied for many years.

For years Tylenol was considered safe to take during pregnancy for pain and fevers. Apparently it is still safe.

From Medical Xpress: Should pregnant women worry about taking Tylenol? 20-year sibling-matched study finds no link to autism or ADHD

Tylenol (also known as acetaminophen or paracetamol) is one of the most widely used over-the-counter options for easing pain and reducing fever, including during pregnancy. More recently, safety concerns around use during pregnancy have gained attention, with claims of a possible link between prenatal exposure and autism in children increasingly appearing in news headlines and prime-time debates. ...continue reading "Study Finds Tylenol Use During Pregnancy Safe"

This past year some officials in the US government have been stating that taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of autism in the child. Most researchers disagreed. A recent large Danish study that followed pregnant women adds to the evidence that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen does not increase the risk of autism.

The Danish researchers found that there is no increased risk of autism in children whose mothers took acetaminophen (Tylenoacetamin) during pregnancy. The study looked at more than 1.5 million children who had been exposed to acetaminophen prenatally. The researchers looked at dose-responses to see if there was an increased risk at different doses or if there was an increased risk during different trimesters - nope, there wasn't.

Interestingly, they found that the children not exposed to acetaminophen during prenatally had a slightly higher rate of autism (but not statistically significant): "Of 1.5 million children, 31,098 (2.1%) were exposed to prescription acetaminophen during pregnancy. A total of 554 exposed children (1.8%) were later diagnosed with autism, compared with 44,667 children (3.0%) in the unexposed group."

From Medical Xpress: A major pregnancy scare collapses: Tylenol shows no autism risk in more than 1.5 million children

Acetaminophen, which also goes by names like paracetamol or Tylenol, is a common over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer. It is often prescribed during pregnancy to help with mild to moderate pain. Recently, there has been a lot of discourse about its safety. Claims have been made suggesting that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of autism in children. ...continue reading "Tylenol Use During Pregnancy Not Linked to Increased Risk of Autism"