On Sept. 25, President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced bold new claims tying increased autism rates to Tylenol, a popular over-the-counter painkiller. Here’s what you need to know.
In a White House press conference, Trump and Kennedy shared that the Food and Drug Administration would be updating drug labels for acetaminophen– more commonly known as Tylenol –to discourage its use by pregnant women. Trump claimed that women should “fight like hell” not to take it because taking the drug while pregnant “can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.”
These claims were announced without actual medical evidence, and science isn’t backing them up. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has worked with numerous universities and medical departments to review statistics for Tylenol and pregnancy risks. As of Oct. 14, they still affirm that Tylenol is the safest option.
It’s important to recognize that Tylenol is currently the only painkiller approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pregnant women. Drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen risk the premature closure of blood vessels, which can cause issues during delivery, and women are advised not to take it after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Tylenol can be used to relieve headaches, pain and fevers. Caitlin Baptiste, a medical geneticist at Columbia University says, “If you’re pregnant and your doctor recommends Tylenol for pain or fever, it’s riskier for you and your baby if you don’t take it.” Both extreme pain and fevers during pregnancy pose risk to the fetus.
Furthermore, other factors have influenced the increased autism rates in the U.S. that Trump didn’t mention during the conference. The increase of autism diagnoses can be attributed to advancements in technology and wider awareness and acceptance of autism and other developmental disabilities.
Scientists can’t agree on what directly causes autism because it is always a wide variety of factors. Columbia University has found that genetics account for 80% of autism risk, and that even a change to a single gene is responsible for 15-20% of autism cases.
This doesn’t mean that painkillers like Tylenol have absolutely no influence whatsoever, but it does mean that there are certainly much bigger factors than that as of right now. The correlation between autism and Tylenol is weak and lacks scientific evidence.
In a cabinet meeting on Oct. 9, Trump explained that there was “virtually no autism” in groups like the Amish community because they don’t take medications or get vaccinated. However, there is a cultural tendency in the Amish community to avoid many aspects of medical technology, making them less likely to seek diagnosis, which influences autism screening outcomes. There isn’t enough statistical data to prove that the Amish are less likely to have cases of autism than the rest of the country.
Until statistical data proving a link between autism and Tylenol is released, Tylenol remains the safest painkiller for pregnant women. The best choice pregnant women can currently make is listening to their doctor’s recommendations regarding painkillers.