No Link Between Maternal Paracetamol Use And Autism Or ADHD In Children, Finds Lancet Study

A recent study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health revealed that taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities in the child. In September 2025, President of the United States, Donald Trump, suggested that paracetamol "is no good" and called on mothers-to-be to "tough it out" rather than take acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol), which is the main ingredient in Tylenol. The U.S. administration suggested that taking paracetamol during pregnancy might increase the risk of autism among children. The latest review confirms that there is no link and should end the debate over its safety.

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, is a condition related to brain development. It affects how people see others and socialise with them. The condition causes problems in communication and getting along with others socially. Mayo Clinic says that autism also includes limited and repeated patterns of behaviour. The term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and the severity of these symptoms.

ADHD, also known as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a condition that affects how your brain works. ADHD doesn't necessarily mean that you lack attention, it however, means that it's harder for you to control your attention or direct it to certain tasks. If an individual has ADHD, it causes symptoms like difficulty focusing, trouble sitting still and impulsive behaviours. But it also allows you to "get in the zone" and hyperfocus on things you really enjoy, says Mayo Clinic.

The symptoms of ADHD start to appear in childhood and may continue to adulthood. However, a majority of people don't get diagnosed with the condition until they're adults. While there's no cure for ADHD, medications and behavioral therapies can help manage the symptoms of the condition.

Some earlier meta-analyses suggested small associations between paracetamol in pregnancy and increased risks of autism and ADHD. However, these were based on studies that were prone to biases. The recent systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 43 studies and found the largest and most methodologically rigorous studies such as those with sibling comparisons. The study included more than 262,000 children who were assessed for autism, over 335,000 who were assessed for ADHD, and around 406,000 who were assessed for intellectual disability.

The researchers found that paracetamol during pregnancy does not cause autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.

Prof Asma Khalil, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St George's University Hospitals, UK and corresponding author, said, "This systematic review and meta-analysis found no evidence that maternal paracetamol use during pregnancy increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability among children. The null findings remained consistent when analyses were harmonised to studies with longer follow-up, those employing sibling comparisons, and those at low risk of bias."

The authors said, "Current evidence does not indicate a clinically important increase in the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children of pregnant individuals who use paracetamol as directed, supporting existing recommendations on its safety."

They added, "When considering sibling comparison studies, paracetamol exposure during pregnancy was not associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorder."

The findings of the study say that previously reported associations between paracetamol in pregnancy and risk of a neurodevelopmental disorder could be due to maternal factors such as underlying pain, discomfort, fever, or genetic predisposition, rather than any direct effect from the paracetamol.

Authors of the study said, "Avoiding paracetamol might expose mothers and foetuses to the risks associated with untreated pain and fever, such as miscarriage, preterm birth, or congenital defects."

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