President Donald Trump warned women against using acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy due to a “very increased risk of autism.”
During a press conference on Monday with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Trump spoke about how the “rise in autism is among the most alarming public health developments in history.”
Trump continued to state that there were “certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills that have no autism,” and when asked if he was correct, Kennedy explained that “there are some studies that suggest that” with the Amish community.
“I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills that have no autism. That have no autism. Does that tell you something? That’s currently, is that a correct statement by the way?” Trump said.
“There are some studies that suggest that. Yeah, with the Amish for example,” Kennedy answered.
“You have certain groups, the Amish, as an example, they have essentially no autism. First, effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen — which is basically commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism,” Trump said. “So, taking Tylenol is not good — I’ll say it, it’s not good. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy, unless medically necessary.”
“That’s for instance, in cases of extremely high fever that you feel you can’t tough it out, you can’t do it — I guess there’s that,” Trump added. “But, if you can’t tough it out, if you can’t do it — that’s what you’re going to have to do. You’ll take a Tylenol, but it’ll be very sparingly, it can be something that’s very dangerous to the woman’s health.”
Trump continued to advise “all pregnant woman” to speak with their doctors “for more information about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant.”
Kenvue, which makes Tylenol and Listerine, among other products, issued a statement describing acetaminophen as being “the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy,” adding that there was “rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals” that found that “there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism,” according to Axios.
In a press release from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was revealed that the agency “initiated the process for a label change for acetaminophen (Tylenol and similar products) to reflect evidence suggesting that the use of acetaminophen by pregnant woman may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD in children.”
The press release continued to note that recent evidence “has suggested a correlation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of conditions like autism and ADHD”:
Evidence in recent years has suggested a correlation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of conditions like autism and ADHD. Multiple large-scale cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Boston Birth Cohort, find this association. Some studies have described that the risk may be most pronounced when acetaminophen is taken chronically throughout pregnancy.
“At President Trump’s urging, NIH, FDA, CDC, and CMS are turning over every stone to identify the ideology of the autism epidemic and how patients and parents can prevent and reverse this alarming trend,” Kennedy said during the press conference. “We have broken down the traditional silos that have long separated the agencies and we have fast-tracked research and guidance.”
Kennedy continued to explain that “The FDA is responding to clinical and laboratory studies that suggest a potential association between acetaminophen used during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including later diagnosis for ADHD and autism.”
While the Trump administration is warning pregnant women not to use Tylenol due to an alleged link to autism, some researchers are saying that the Trump administration “hasn’t uncovered new evidence” and that “the existing data still doesn’t support its claims,” according to NBC News:
Trump had been teasing the announcement for days, as Kennedy and other health officials have pledged to determine the cause of the developmental disorder by September. Researchers who’ve spent decades researching potential causes of autism say that the administration hasn’t uncovered new evidence — and that the existing data still doesn’t support its claims.
“This is not new,” Dr. Allison Bryant, a high-risk obstetrician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in an earlier interview. “It has bubbled up every now and again with studies that show maybe some kind of association but not clearly showing any cause and effect.”
In response to the press conference and Trump’s suggestion, several people took to social media to question why they would “take medical advice from someone who doesn’t have a medical degree,” while others claimed that the Trump administration wants to “make women suffer.”
“Why would I take medical advice from someone who doesn’t have a medical degree,” one person wrote in a post on X.
“Yes cause I’d listen to this idiot about what and what not to take during my pregnancy… OK,” another person wrote.
“As it’s been said, tylenol is the only thing pregnant ppl can take for pain,” another person wrote. “All they want is to make women suffer.”
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