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Obstetricians have long advised their pregnant patients that Tylenol is the safest option to reduce fever or pain. President Donald Trump stood before a national audience on Sept. 22 and contradicted that.

鈥淒on鈥檛 take Tylenol,鈥� Trump said during an hourlong White House press conference that included his leading health appointees. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no downside. Don鈥檛 take it. You鈥檒l be uncomfortable. It won鈥檛 be as easy, maybe, but don鈥檛 take it. If you鈥檙e pregnant, don鈥檛 take Tylenol.鈥�

His advice has no clear basis in research and contradicts long-standing science and medical guidance. And there are downsides to avoiding acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, when it is needed. Untreated fever during pregnancy can harm a mom and baby, medical experts warn. Untreated pain is a drawback, too.

Trump鈥檚 advice is based on聽聽that acetaminophen use during pregnancy increases a child鈥檚 risk of autism 鈥� a stance that he and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the longtime anti-vaccine activist who is now Trump鈥檚 Health and Human Services secretary, touted throughout the announcement.

Although some studies have found that children exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy were more likely to have autism symptoms or be diagnosed with autism, other studies found no such association. Association is聽not the same as causation. That means that research showing an association between Tylenol and autism doesn鈥檛 mean the medication聽caused听补耻迟颈蝉尘.

The Food and Drug Administration鈥檚聽聽on the topic said as much.

鈥淚t is important to note that while an association between acetaminophen and neurological conditions has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature,鈥� it said. 鈥淚t is also noted that acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter drug approved for use to treat fevers during pregnancy, and high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children.鈥�

The White House declined to provide data showing there are no downsides to avoiding Tylenol use. It provided a statement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in which she cited 鈥渁 connection鈥� between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism as the reason for the guidance.

鈥淭he Trump Administration does not believe popping more pills is always the answer for better health,鈥� Leavitt said.

Leavitt also shared on the social platform X聽聽from Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who said his research 鈥渇ound evidence of an association鈥� between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Baccarelli warned of the risks of high fever and advocated for cautious acetaminophen use during pregnancy 鈥� not blanket avoidance.

The Risks of Untreated Fever During Pregnancy

Maternal and prenatal care groups, including the聽聽and the聽, support the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy.

They Trump鈥檚 remarks.

There鈥檚 good reason for that: Acetaminophen is one of few safe options pregnant patients have to treat fever and manage pain.

Trump acknowledged this during the press conference.

鈥淪adly, first question: What can you take instead?鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not an alternative.鈥� He said that other medicines such as aspirin and Advil 鈥渁re absolutely proven bad.鈥�

In 2020,聽聽advised that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, which include common pain relievers such as Advil (also known as ibuprofen), Aleve (or naproxen), and aspirin shouldn鈥檛 be used during pregnancy after 20 weeks of gestation.

Those medications aren鈥檛 recommended during pregnancy because they could harm fetal development, Salena Zanotti, a Cleveland Clinic obstetrician and gynecologist,聽.

Untreated fevers during pregnancy come with their own risks.

滨苍听, Steven Fleischman, the association鈥檚 president, said the Trump administration鈥檚 anti-Tylenol advice sends a 鈥渉armful and confusing message鈥� to pregnant patients.

鈥淢aternal fever, headaches as an early sign of preeclampsia, and pain are all managed with the therapeutic use of acetaminophen, making acetaminophen essential to the people who need it,鈥� Fleischman said.

Christopher Zahn, ACOG鈥檚 chief of clinical practice,聽said聽pregnant patients should talk with their doctors about the benefits and risks of available treatments. Avoiding treating medical conditions that call for acetaminophen is 鈥渇ar more dangerous than theoretical concerns based on inconclusive reviews of conflicting science,鈥� Zahn said.

Similarly, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said that untreated fever and pain during pregnancy carry 鈥渟ignificant maternal and infant health risks.鈥�

鈥淯ntreated fever, particularly in the first trimester, increases the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth, and untreated pain can lead to maternal depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure,鈥� it聽said.

Research on these risks goes back more than a decade: A聽聽of available evidence on fevers during pregnancy found 鈥渟ubstantial evidence鈥� that maternal fever might negatively affect fetal health in the short and long term, including increasing the risks of neural tube defects, congenital heart defects, and oral clefts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 聽that聽fever聽during pregnancy to including birth defects.

, a聽nonprofit that provides information about the benefits and risks of medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding,聽warns聽that a fever-caused increase in body temperature during early pregnancy , including a small chance for birth defects. Some studies 聽that fevers are associated with increased chances of a child having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism.

Kenvue, Tylenol鈥檚 parent company, said acetaminophen is 鈥渢he safest pain reliever鈥� option available throughout pregnancy.

鈥淲ithout it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives,鈥� the company鈥檚 statement said. 鈥淗igh fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated.鈥�

Tylenol, responding to the news attention聽, cited the ACOG position on acetaminophen use during pregnancy and highlighted a section of the Tylenol label that encourages people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to talk to a health professional.

鈥淵our doctor is the best person to advise whether taking medication is right for you based on your specific health needs,鈥� the video said.

Our Ruling

Trump said 鈥渢here鈥檚 no downside鈥� to avoiding Tylenol use during pregnancy.

Researchers have long documented health risks associated with untreated fevers during pregnancy. They can lead to increased risk of birth defects and other pregnancy complications, particularly in the first trimester. Untreated pain can lead to maternal depression and anxiety. These risks outweigh conflicting research into possible links between the drug and autism, according to maternal and fetal health organizations.

Doctors and researchers have found acetaminophen to be a safe pain and fever reducer during pregnancy. By comparison, other over-the-counter pain relievers come with documented risks, making Tylenol one of the only options available to pregnant mothers.

We rate Trump鈥檚 statement Pants on Fire!