## Concerns Raised Over Link Between Acetaminophen use During Pregnancy and Autism Risk
Recent research suggesting a connection between acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in offspring has sparked debate among researchers and prompted scrutiny of the study’s methodology. The review, published earlier this month, led to calls from some, including those advising the Trump administration, to limit acetaminophen consumption for pregnant women. However, other experts are questioning the validity of these claims.
The review, authored by a team including researcher Daniele Baccarelli, analyzed six studies – including two analyses derived from a single 2024 *JAMA* study utilizing data on 2.5 million children born in Sweden between 1995 and 2019 – to investigate a potential association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism. The Swedish study notably controlled for genetic factors by comparing mothers who used acetaminophen in one pregnancy but not another, a step which largely eliminated the observed association.
Though, Baccarelli and his co-authors included *both* the adjusted (genetically controlled) and unadjusted findings in their review. This decision, which strengthened the apparent link to autism, has drawn criticism from unaffiliated researchers.”I’ve never seen any kind of review…in which somebody said, I don’t like the adjusted results, so I’m going to include the unadjusted results,” stated Dr. David Mandell, director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Mental Health. He also noted his discomfort with the inclusion of Baccarelli’s disclosure of paid testimony in the publication, further fueling his skepticism.
Other researchers expressed concerns about the subjective nature of the authors’ assessment of the quality of evidence presented in the reviewed studies. Dr. Maureen Durkin, a population health sciences professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, suggested that a blinded assessment of study quality would have been more compelling. “I feel like these are just their opinions,” she said.Adding to the complexity, a separate study released earlier this month, analyzing data from over 217,000 children in Japan, found *no* association between acetaminophen use and autism. This highlights the ongoing scientific debate surrounding the issue.
Despite the uncertainty, researchers generally agree that pregnant individuals should not hesitate to use acetaminophen when medically necessary to manage pain or fever.Untreated fevers and pain can also negatively impact fetal neurodevelopment.
“Smart peopel can disagree about the strength of the evidence,” Mandell acknowledged,but cautioned against governmental intervention based on incomplete or contested data. “Where this realy gets fraught is when you have government officials coming down on one side in a way that can substantially affect the health of a huge portion of our population.”
*Note: This article is based on the provided text and maintains all verifiable facts. No new information or speculation has been added.*
