A major study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, gynecology and women’s health found no evidence that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in children
The study was published in the journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health.
About paracetamol
Paracetamol is an over-the-counter medication commonly used to treat symptoms such as body aches and fever.
Previous US guidelines
In September 2025, the U.S. government issued health guidelines citing “mounting evidence showing a link between acetaminophen (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and autism.” However, previous research suggesting a small link between paracetamol during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism and ADHD was often prone to bias, according to researchers from the University of Liverpool, UK, and institutes in Europe.
Rigorous review of evidence
The team reviewed evidence from 43 studies and looked for studies with the largest, most rigorous methodologies, such as analyzes using comparisons between siblings.
“Current evidence does not indicate a clinically important increase in the risk of autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children born to pregnant individuals who use acetaminophen as prescribed, which supports existing recommendations regarding its safety,” the authors wrote.
“In sibling comparison studies, exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy was not associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorder,” they said.
Explanation of previous links
The findings suggest that previously reported associations between acetaminophen during pregnancy and the risk of a neurodevelopmental disorder may be due to maternal factors, including underlying pain, discomfort, fever or a genetic predisposition, rather than a direct effect of acetaminophen, the researchers said.
Expert commentary
Rudrarup Bhattacharjee, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide in Australia and not involved in the study, said the findings are significant because “previous concerns were largely driven by conventional observational studies that could not fully separate the effects of paracetamol from the underlying reasons why it was taken, for example maternal fever, pain or infection – factors that in themselves can influence the outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth.”
“By carefully addressing these sources of bias, the study makes clear that previously reported associations are unlikely to be causal,” Bhattacharjee said.
Researchers, including those from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and not involved in the study, said in a commentary article published in the journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health: “This study reinforces that the strongest epidemiological evidence does not support an association between paracetamol use during pregnancy and neurological damage during pregnancy, especially in settings where untreated maternal infections and fever pose well-established risks to fetal survival and neurological development.”
Published on January 17, 2026
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