No Evidence Paracetamol in Pregnancy Raises Autism or ADHD Risk

No Evidence Paracetamol During Pregnancy Raises Autism or ADHD Risk 

A comprehensive review of existing research has found no convincing link between the use of paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen or Tylenol) during pregnancy and the development of Autism Spectrum Disorder or Attention‑Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.

The review, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), encompassed nine systematic reviews covering 40 observational studies. 

Researchers found that many of the earlier studies reporting possible associations suffered from low to critically low quality and often neglected to account for shared genetic or environmental factors. One key sibling-comparison study involving 2.4 million Swedish children found a marginally higher incidence of autism, ADHD and intellectual disability among those whose mothers used paracetamol—but when siblings were compared, the effect vanished. 

Lead author Dr Shakila Thangaratinam, an obstetrician at the University of Liverpool, emphasised that the evidence does not support a causal link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and neurodevelopment disorders.

The team concluded that underlying maternal health issues, family genetics and environmental influences are more plausible explanations.

Given that high fever and untreated pain carry risks during pregnancy, the researchers affirm that paracetamol remains the safest recommended option for pain relief during pregnancy, while other painkillers like ibuprofen are not generally advised. 

Key Takeaways:

Review of nine systematic reviews found no credible evidence that paracetamol use in pregnancy causes autism or ADHD.

Many prior studies linking paracetamol to neurodevelopment issues were of poor methodological quality, lacked control for familial or genetic factors.

Paracetamol remains the recommended pain-relief option during pregnancy when needed, with untreated high fever posing greater risk.

By clarifying the evidence around paracetamol, this new analysis helps expectant mothers and healthcare providers make informed decisions without undue worry.

Adapted From:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/10/no-link-between-paracetamol-tylenol-in-pregnancy-and-autism-or-adhd-in-children-review-finds

The full paper is not yet available

Maternal paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring: umbrella review of systematic reviews doi: 10.1136/bmj-2025-088141

Sweden Study from 2024

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2817406?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Conclusions

Acetaminophen use during pregnancy was not associated with children's risk of autism, ADHD, or intellec-tual disability in sibling control analyses. This suggests that associations observed in models without sibling control may have been attributable to confounding