Paracetamol is safe during pregnancy and does not cause autism or hyperactivity.

European researchers have confirmed that taking paracetamol, also known as Tylenol, is safe for pregnant women, and that scientific evidence does not link it to an increased risk of autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.

The study came in the wake of statements by US President Donald Trump, in which he warned pregnant women against using the drug, a warning that was met with rejection by national and international medical experts, who stressed that his warnings were not based on any scientific evidence.

A comprehensive study of hundreds of thousands of children

This came in a scientific study published on Saturday in the British journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Genetic Sciences & Women’s Health, prepared by a team of European researchers with the aim of assessing the best available evidence on the safety of paracetamol during pregnancy.

Dr. Asma Khalil, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Fetal Care at London City University St George’s, said, “The main message is reassurance,” stressing that “the use of paracetamol according to medical recommendations does not support a causal relationship with autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.”

In their study, the researchers relied on a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 43 previous studies, which were assessed for quality using approved scientific tools. The team focused particularly on studies that compared siblings born to the same mother, who used paracetamol during pregnancy with one of them, a methodology that reduces the impact of shared genetic and environmental factors.

Although the number of these studies did not exceed three, they included more than 260,000 children who were assessed for autism, in addition to more than 335,000 and 405,000 children with ADHD and intellectual disabilities, respectively.

There is no link between the drug and neurological conditions.

The results showed no statistically significant association between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and these disorders, which remained consistent even when the results of all high-quality studies were combined.

Asma Khalil, the lead researcher on the study, pointed out that many of the studies that previously suggested a possible link, including a review of 46 studies cited by Trump administration officials, “suffer from methodological biases and confounding factors that were not adequately accounted for.”

Doctors’ advice

Grainee McAloonan, a professor of translational neuroscience at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, welcomed the findings, expressing her hope that they would “put an end to this controversy.”

Paracetamol is the only painkiller that is widely regarded as safe for use during pregnancy, with doctors recommending the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time to control pain or fever, since leaving these conditions untreated could pose a risk to both mother and fetus.