Prenatal Acetaminophen Use and Autism
December 8, 2025 (Issue: 1743)
Acetaminophen has been considered the drug
of choice for treatment of fever and pain during
pregnancy for decades, but a recent announcement
by the US Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) has prompted discussion about its effects...more
- HHS. Autism announcement fact sheet. September 22, 2025. Available at: https://bit.ly/42Hqblj. Accessed October 27, 2025.
- AZ Bauer et al. Paracetamol use during pregnancy - a call for precautionary action. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2021; 17:757. doi:10.1038/s41574-021-00553-7
- The European Network of Teratology Information Services. ENTIS: position statement on acetaminophen (paracetamol) in pregnancy. October 3, 2021. Available at: https://bit.ly/4qlNQSj. Accessed October 27, 2025.
- FDA News Release. FDA responds to evidence of possible association between autism and acetaminophen use during pregnancy. September 22, 2025. Available at: https://bit.ly/3WEXiCG. Accessed October 27, 2025.
- FDA. Notice to physicians on the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy. September 22, 2025. Available at: https://bit.ly/46SY0Cq. Accessed October 27, 2025.
- S Chu et al. Acetaminophen's role in autism and ADHD: a mitochondrial perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2025; 26:8585. doi:10.3390/ijms26178585
- Z Liew et al. Use of negative control exposure analysis to evaluate confounding: an example of acetaminophen exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Nurses' Health Study II. Am J Epidemiol 2019; 188:768. doi:10.1093/aje/kwy288
- Y Ji et al. Association of cord plasma biomarkers of in utero acetaminophen exposure with risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in childhood. JAMA Psychiatry 2020; 77:180. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3259
- VH Ahlqvist et al. Acetaminophen use during pregnancy and children's risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability. JAMA 2024; 331:1205. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.3172
- Y Okubo et al. Maternal acetaminophen use and offspring's neurodevelopmental outcome: a nationwide birth cohort study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2025 September 2 (epub). doi:10.1111/ppe.70071
- Z Liew et al. Maternal use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorders in childhood: a Danish national birth cohort study. Autism Res 2016; 9:951. doi:10.1002/aur.1591
- CB Avella-Garcia et al. Acetaminophen use in pregnancy and neurodevelopment: attention function and autism spectrum symptoms. Int J Epidemiol 2016; 45:1987. doi:10.1093/ije/dyw115
- D Prada et al. Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology. Environ Health 2025; 24:56. doi:10.1186/s12940-025-01208-0
- J Sheikh et al. Maternal paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring: umbrella review of systematic reviews. BMJ 2025; 391:e088141. doi:10.1136/bmj-2025-088141
- S Antoun et al. Fever during pregnancy as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders: results from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mol Autism 2021; 12:60. doi:10.1186/s13229-021-00464-4
- M Hornig et al. Prenatal fever and autism risk. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:759. doi:10.1038/mp.2017.119
- ME Moretti et al. Maternal hyperthermia and the risk for neural tube defects in offspring: systematic review and meta-analysis. Epidemiology 2005; 16:216. doi:10.1097/01.ede.0000152903.55579.15
- D-K Li et al. Use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2018; 219:275.e1. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2018.06.002
- In brief: New warnings on NSAID use in pregnancy. Med Lett Drugs Ther 2020; 62:175.
- VE Whiteman et al. Maternal opioid drug use during pregnancy and its impact on perinatal morbidity, mortality, and the costs of medical care in the United States. J Pregnancy 2014; 2014:906723. doi:10.1155/2014/906723
- RE Azuine et al. Prenatal risk factors and perinatal and postnatal outcomes associated with maternal opioid exposure in an urban, low-income, multiethnic US population. JAMA Netw Open 2019; 2:e196405. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6405
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Clinical guidance for treating pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder and their infants. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 18-5054. Rockville, MD: 2018. Available at: https://bit.ly/47taW20. Accessed October 27, 2025.
- Suzetrigine (Journavx) — a sodium channel blocker for acute pain. Med Lett Drugs Ther 2025; 67:33.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG affirms safety and benefits of acetaminophen during pregnancy. September 22, 2025. Available at: https://bit.ly/3W8XtGh. Accessed October 27, 2025.
- Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. SOGC statement on acetaminophen use in pregnancy. September 15, 2025. Available at: https://bit.ly/48urec5. Accessed October 27, 2025.
- European Network of Teratology Information Services. ENTIS position statement: paracetamol in pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder. September 26, 2025. Available at: https://bit.ly/4qcuBL9. Accessed October 27, 2025.
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