BU Autism Expert Says Research Hasn’t Confirmed Tylenol Link
White House urges pregnant women to avoid the pain medicine acetaminophen for themselves, children
“It is safe for pregnant women to take Tylenol during pregnancy if they have an infection, are running a fever, or have severe pain,” says BU autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg. Photo via iStock/skhoward
BU Autism Expert Says Research Hasn’t Confirmed Tylenol Link
White House had urged pregnant women to avoid the pain medicine acetaminophen for themselves, children
During her decades of autism research at Boston University, Helen Tager-Flusberg has collaborated with multiple Boston hospitals and colleges and probed a wide range of angles: early behavioral and brain development in infants at risk for the condition, language impairment in children and adolescents, and behavioral therapy for minimally verbal children. Outside the lab, Tager-Flusberg—a professor emerita of psychological and brain sciences at the College of Arts & Sciences and director of BU’s Center for Autism Research Excellence—founded the Coalition of Autism Scientists, an advocacy group focused on countering misinformation.
On Monday, President Trump linked autism to the popular painkiller acetaminophen, declaring that pregnant women should not take Tylenol, nor give it to their babies. According to Tager-Flusberg, that message does not accurately reflect the science on pain relief in pregnancy or autism spectrum disorders, which affect 1 in 31 US children and have been consistently linked to genetics.
Responding to the president’s announcement, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine restated its recommendation that acetaminophen is an appropriate medication for treating pregnancy-related fever and pain, adding that fever left untreated, especially early in a pregnancy, increases the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth.
The Brink asked Tager-Flusberg to discuss what research has found on the subject.
Q&A
with Helen Tager-Flusberg
The Brink: Can pregnant women take Tylenol safely? If so, in what doses and over what duration?
Tager-Flusberg: The answer is a clear yes. It is safe for pregnant women to take Tylenol during pregnancy if they have an infection, are running a fever, or have severe pain. They should take a dosage recommended by their physician. They shouldn’t take it over a prolonged period, just for the duration of need. Importantly, of all the pain/fever medications, Tylenol is clearly the safest for pregnant women to take.
The Brink: What is the evidence that acetaminophen might be linked to autism? What is the contrary evidence?
Tager-Flusberg: Many studies have been conducted looking at the relationship between acetaminophen during pregnancy and autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD. A recent review of 46 studies reported mixed findings across different studies, but concluded that the weight of evidence indicated that there was an increased risk of autism associated with acetaminophen. However, another large-scale study, conducted on data from Sweden that included controlling for the genetic background of participants, showed no such association. Even if one accepts that some studies find an association, this does not come close to suggesting that acetaminophen is causally related.
Science is cumulative, and researchers should and will continue investigating this issue.
The Brink: How close are researchers to resolving the question?
Science is cumulative, and researchers should and will continue investigating this issue. For example, we do need more studies to explore how genetic risk factors associated with autism may interact with the risks of prenatal exposure to acetaminophen. However, it is safer for pregnant women to take acetaminophen as needed than to suffer pain, high fever, or infection. [President Trump’s advice] is completely contradicted by what we know about the greater risks to the developing fetus that are posed by prolonged fever or infection or the stress associated with severe pain.
This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
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