\u201cThere\u2019s no downside\u201d to avoiding Tylenol or acetaminophen use while pregnant.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump on Sept. 22, 2025, in a press conference<\/p>\n
Obstetricians have long advised their pregnant patients that Tylenol is the safest option to reduce fever or pain. President Donald Trump stood before a national audience on Sept. 22 and contradicted that.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t take Tylenol,\u201d Trump said during an hourlong White House press conference that included his leading health appointees. \u201cThere\u2019s no downside. Don\u2019t take it. You\u2019ll be uncomfortable. It won\u2019t be as easy, maybe, but don\u2019t take it. If you\u2019re pregnant, don\u2019t take Tylenol.\u201d<\/p>\n
His advice has no clear basis in research and contradicts long-standing science and medical guidance. And there are downsides to avoiding acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, when it is needed. Untreated fever during pregnancy can harm a mom and baby, medical experts warn. Untreated pain is a drawback, too.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s advice is based on\u00a0the unproven idea<\/a>\u00a0that acetaminophen use during pregnancy increases a child\u2019s risk of autism \u2014 a stance that he and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the longtime anti-vaccine activist who is now Trump\u2019s Health and Human Services secretary, touted throughout the announcement.<\/p>\n Although some studies have found that children exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy were more likely to have autism symptoms or be diagnosed with autism, other studies found no such association. Association is\u00a0not the same as causation. That means that research showing an association between Tylenol and autism doesn\u2019t mean the medication\u00a0caused<\/em>\u00a0autism.<\/p>\n The Food and Drug Administration\u2019s\u00a0Sept. 22 press release<\/a>\u00a0on the topic said as much.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to note that while an association between acetaminophen and neurological conditions has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature,\u201d it said. \u201cIt is also noted that acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter drug approved for use to treat fevers during pregnancy, and high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children.\u201d<\/p>\n The White House declined to provide data showing there are no downsides to avoiding Tylenol use. It provided a statement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in which she cited \u201ca connection\u201d between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism as the reason for the guidance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump Administration does not believe popping more pills is always the answer for better health,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n Leavitt also shared on the social platform X\u00a0a statement<\/a>\u00a0from Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who said his research \u201cfound evidence of an association\u201d between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Baccarelli warned of the risks of high fever and advocated for cautious acetaminophen use during pregnancy \u2014 not blanket avoidance.<\/p>\n Maternal and prenatal care groups, including the\u00a0American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine<\/a>, support the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy.<\/p>\n They reiterated this support<\/a> in\u00a0response\u00a0to<\/a> Trump\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n There\u2019s good reason for that: Acetaminophen is one of few safe options pregnant patients have to treat fever and manage pain.<\/p>\n Trump acknowledged this during the press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cSadly, first question: What can you take instead?\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s not an alternative.\u201d He said that other medicines such as aspirin and Advil \u201care absolutely proven bad.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2020,\u00a0the FDA<\/a>\u00a0advised that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, which include common pain relievers such as Advil (also known as ibuprofen), Aleve (or naproxen), and aspirin shouldn\u2019t be used during pregnancy after 20 weeks of gestation.<\/p>\n Those medications aren\u2019t recommended during pregnancy because they could harm fetal development, Salena Zanotti, a Cleveland Clinic obstetrician and gynecologist,\u00a0said this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Untreated fevers during pregnancy come with their own risks.<\/p>\n In\u00a0ACOG\u2019s Sept. 22 statement<\/a>, Steven Fleischman, the association\u2019s president, said the Trump administration\u2019s anti-Tylenol advice sends a \u201charmful and confusing message\u201d to pregnant patients.<\/p>\n \u201cMaternal fever, headaches as an early sign of preeclampsia, and pain are all managed with the therapeutic use of acetaminophen, making acetaminophen essential to the people who need it,\u201d Fleischman said.<\/p>\n Christopher Zahn, ACOG\u2019s chief of clinical practice,\u00a0said\u00a0pregnant patients should talk with their doctors about the benefits and risks of available treatments. Avoiding treating medical conditions that call for acetaminophen is \u201cfar more dangerous than theoretical concerns based on inconclusive reviews of conflicting science,\u201d Zahn said.<\/p>\n Similarly, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said that untreated fever and pain during pregnancy carry \u201csignificant maternal and infant health risks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUntreated fever, particularly in the first trimester, increases the risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth, and untreated pain can lead to maternal depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure,\u201d it\u00a0said.<\/p>\n Research on these risks goes back more than a decade: A\u00a02014 Pediatrics review<\/a>\u00a0of available evidence on fevers during pregnancy found \u201csubstantial evidence\u201d that maternal fever might negatively affect fetal health in the short and long term, including increasing the risks of neural tube defects, congenital heart defects, and oral clefts.<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0fever\u00a0during pregnancy has been linked<\/a> to adverse outcomes<\/a> including birth defects.<\/p>\n MotherToBaby<\/a>, a\u00a0nonprofit that provides information about the benefits and risks of medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding,\u00a0warns\u00a0that a fever-caused increase in body temperature during early pregnancy carries risks<\/a>, including a small chance for birth defects. Some studies also\u00a0found<\/a>\u00a0that fevers are associated with increased chances of a child having attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder or autism.<\/p>\n Kenvue, Tylenol\u2019s parent company, said acetaminophen is \u201cthe safest pain reliever\u201d option available throughout pregnancy.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives,\u201d the company\u2019s statement said. \u201cHigh fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated.\u201d<\/p>\n Tylenol, responding to the news attention\u00a0on Instagram<\/a>, cited the ACOG position on acetaminophen use during pregnancy and highlighted a section of the Tylenol label that encourages people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to talk to a health professional.<\/p>\n \u201cYour doctor is the best person to advise whether taking medication is right for you based on your specific health needs,\u201d the video said.<\/p>\n Trump said \u201cthere\u2019s no downside\u201d to avoiding Tylenol use during pregnancy.<\/p>\n Researchers have long documented health risks associated with untreated fevers during pregnancy. They can lead to increased risk of birth defects and other pregnancy complications, particularly in the first trimester. Untreated pain can lead to maternal depression and anxiety. These risks outweigh conflicting research into possible links between the drug and autism, according to maternal and fetal health organizations.<\/p>\n Doctors and researchers have found acetaminophen to be a safe pain and fever reducer during pregnancy. By comparison, other over-the-counter pain relievers come with documented risks, making Tylenol one of the only options available to pregnant mothers.<\/p>\n We rate Trump\u2019s statement Pants on Fire!<\/p>\n Emailed statement from Kenvue, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n Emailed statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n Emailed statement from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n Emailed statement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt\u2019s\u00a0X post<\/a>, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n PolitiFact,\u00a0\u201cResearch Doesn\u2019t Show Using Tylenol During Pregnancy Causes Autism. Here\u2019s What Else You Should Know<\/a>,\u201d Sept. 15, 2025<\/p>\n Tylenol\u00a0Instagram post<\/a>, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n Cleveland Clinic, \u201cCan You Take Acetaminophen While Pregnant?<\/a>\u201d March 17, 2025<\/p>\n Email interview with Christopher Zahn, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists\u2019 chief of clinical practice, Sept. 10, 2025<\/p>\n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, \u201cFlu & Pregnancy<\/a>,\u201d Sept. 17, 2024<\/p>\n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, \u201cHeat and Pregnancy<\/a>,\u201d June 25, 2024<\/p>\n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, \u201cAbout Vaccines and Pregnancy<\/a>,\u201d June 17, 2024<\/p>\n MotherToBaby, \u201cFever\/Hyperthermia<\/a>,\u201d Feb. 1, 2025<\/p>\n Food and Drug Administration, \u201cFDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA Has Reviewed Possible Risks of Pain Medicine Use During Pregnancy<\/a>,\u201d Jan. 19, 2016<\/p>\n Food and Drug Administration, \u201cFDA Responds to Evidence of Possible Association Between Autism and Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy<\/a>,\u201d Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, \u201cPrenatal Acetaminophen Use and Outcomes in Children<\/a>,\u201d March 2017<\/p>\n American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,\u00a0\u201cAcetaminophen in Pregnancy<\/a>,\u201d accessed Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n Vogue, \u201cThe Latest in Maternal Health Fear Mongering? Tylenol<\/a>,\u201d Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n The HIPAA Journal, \u201cDr. Dorothy Fink Appointed as Acting HHS Secretary<\/a>,\u201d Jan. 22, 2025<\/p>\n Pediatrics, \u201cSystematic Review and Meta-Analyses: Fever in Pregnancy and Health Impacts in the Offspring<\/a>,\u201d March 1, 2014<\/p>\n\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Risks of Untreated Fever During Pregnancy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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