Washington, D.C.: US President Donald Trump has urged pregnant women to avoid Tylenol, the widely used brand name for paracetamol, citing unproven links to autism.
Speaking at a White House news conference on Monday, Trump warned expectant mothers that, “Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it. Fight like hell not to take it.” He suggested women should only use the drug as a last resort.
His remarks came as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to add a warning label on paracetamol, citing research that suggests a possible correlation between prolonged use during pregnancy and conditions such as autism and ADHD.
The president also cast doubt on the safety of combined vaccines, suggesting that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shot should be given as separate injections. “This is based on what I feel,” Trump said, despite longstanding scientific evidence that has found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
🚨 President Donald J. Trump announces FDA’s new guidance alerting physicians to a potential link between acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism. pic.twitter.com/ZjVgEAR6MX
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 22, 2025
Leading health organizations swiftly condemned Trump’s comments. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) reaffirmed that paracetamol remains one of the safest options for pain relief and fever management during pregnancy.
ACOG President Steven J. Fleischman called Trump’s claims irresponsible, stressing that numerous studies support acetaminophen’s safety for pregnant women. He cautioned that untreated pain and high fevers can themselves pose serious risks to both mother and baby.
While some studies have suggested a possible association between paracetamol use in pregnancy and developmental conditions, experts emphasize that these findings are inconsistent and often confounded by other factors.
A major Swedish study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no causal link when comparing children exposed to paracetamol with their unexposed siblings.
For decades, politicians ignored the rise of autism in America. President Trump is taking action.
His Autism Action Plan will inform parents, expand treatment, and fund research, finally delivering answers families have needed for years.
This is the leadership we prayed for! pic.twitter.com/qAMxd2xTDM
— Rep. Mary Miller (@RepMaryMiller) September 22, 2025
Catherine Lord, a psychiatry professor at UCLA specializing in autism, said that, “The medical community will be firm that Tylenol in pregnancy does not cause autism, but will probably remind women to always be careful about medication use.”
The FDA’s updated guidelines acknowledged limited evidence of a correlation but underscored that acetaminophen remains the only over-the-counter drug approved for treating fever in pregnancy. The agency noted that high maternal fevers can endanger fetal development.
Autism is believed to arise from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors rather than a single cause, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
