A rigorous new review of the available data is conclusive: taking acetaminophen in pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or intellectual disability in children.
The study, led by City St George’s, University of London (UK) and published in‘The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health‘, is a meta-analysis of 43 studies whose results provide “strong evidence” that taking paracetamol during pregnancy is safe.
Are there risks of taking paracetamol during pregnancy?
In September 2025, Donald Trump’s administration suggested that taking this drug during pregnancy could interfere with the neurological development of children and cause autism. The claim sowed doubt in public opinion.
But, the authors of the new study explain, the Trump administration relied on previous reports that were biased, did not collect all the information needed to make such an assessment, and did not take into account siblings or family background, which are crucial.
For this new review, the team compiled 43 studies of the highest quality, conducted using methodologically rigorous research methods and including sibling comparisons.
The authors explain that the associations between acetaminophen during pregnancy and autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities alluded to by the US administration may be due to other maternal factors, such as underlying pain, discomfort, fever or genetic predisposition, rather than any direct effect of acetaminophen.
Sibling comparisons
In this review, the team examined 43 studies and compared pregnancies in which the mother had taken acetaminophen with those in which she had not.
The results of the studies were grouped into two blocks among siblings born to the same mother, one in which the pregnant woman had taken paracetamol during pregnancy and one in which she had not (a method that helps to control for shared genetics, family environment and long-term parental characteristics that traditional studies do not usually take into account).
Compared to pregnancies without acetaminophen exposure, it was confirmed that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy was not associated with infantile autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.
In the sibling comparison studies, the data included 262,852 children assessed for autism, 335,255 for ADHD, and 406,681 for intellectual disability.
“Our findings suggest that the relationships described above are likely to be explained by genetic predisposition or other maternal factors, such as fever or underlying pain, rather than by a direct effect of acetaminophen itself,” stresses Asma Khalil, professor of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine at City St George’s and director of the study.
Khalil is clear: “Acetaminophen remains a safe option during pregnancy when taken as directed. This is important, as acetaminophen is the first-line medication we recommend to pregnant women with pain or fever, so they should feel reassured that they still have a safe option to relieve their symptoms.”
The authors hope that this review will put an end to doubts about the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy, because avoiding this drug when there is severe pain or fever “may expose both mother and baby to known risks, particularly untreated maternal fever,” they warn.
A closed debate for the experts
Some scientists have highlighted the strength of this meta-analysis, which has excluded lower-quality studies and is a “timely and well-conducted systematic review” on the topic, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine professor Ian Douglas tells the scientific resource platform SMC UK.
For Steven Kapp, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth (UK), “as a neurodivergent researcher and advocate, I think one implication is that society needs to stop going down blind alleys looking for bogus ways to prevent developmental disabilities.
Instead, we should focus more on making the world a better place for people with disabilities.”
And for Grainne McAlonan, Professor of Translational Neuroscience at King’s College London, “although the impact of last year’s announcement was considerable, I hope that the findings of this study will put the matter to rest,” she told SMC UK.
With information from EFE
