US President Donald Trump said that the use of paracetamol (acetamin or tylenol) during pregnancy is related to autism in children, urging pregnant women to avoid this analgesic, writes The Conversation.
This announcement has sparked alarm, confusion and a series of reactions from health experts around the world. Trump's comments come in a long series of unfounded statements about the causes of autism, paracetamol being now the latest target.
In order to understand these statements, we must examine what autism is actually and why the number of diagnoses has increased. Disorder in autistic spectrum (TSA) or autism is a complex condition that affects social interaction, communication and behavior. It is not a disease, but a different way in which people experience and interact with the world.
Although autism diagnoses have increased in recent decades, this is largely due to better awareness, wider diagnostic criteria and improved access to medical evaluations.
Trump's recent statements have cited more and more evidence that connects paracetamol used during autism pregnancy and have suggested that amish and Cuban communities have no autism at all, because they do not use this drug. However, there are documented cases of autism in both the Amish and Cuba community.
Both communities also use Paracetamol, but it is not used as much as in the US or the United Kingdom, for example, which could suggest a connection between the use of drug and autism (high consumption, high autism prevalence; low consumption, low autism prevalence). However, the attribution of low rates for the use of paracetamol ignores the complexity of diagnosing, reporting, access to medical assistance and cultural or religious stigma in different populations.
A more nuanced picture
Scientific evidence presents a more nuanced image than the statements of the White House. An analysis from 2025, funded by the US National Institute of Health, analyzed 46 studies on this topic. Twenty -seven of these have discovered a connection between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and the increased risk of neurodevelopment disorders in children. The analysis strengthens the evidence of a potential connection, but, very important, it does not prove that paracetamol causes autism. Other factors – such as why women took paracetamol first (infection or fever) – could explain the results.
More soothing is the largest and most rigorous study so far – a Swedish national analysis on over 2.4 million children. It has not found any evidence of an increased risk of autism in children whose mothers used paracetamol during pregnancy, taking into account family and genetic factors.
The study provides a strong confirmation that paracetamol, when used according to recommendations, is a slightly probable cause of autism. Another 2025 analysis showed that paracetamol administration during pregnancy is unlikely to increase the risk of autism in children.
Autism does not have a single simple cause. It develops through a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Although genetics play an important role, no gene or mutation explains autism itself. Environmental factors – such as an infection during pregnancy, certain drugs, the age of parents or complications around birth – can also increase the risk. However, in most cases, autism cannot be attributed to a single factor.
The clinical reality is that paracetamol remains the analgesic of first choice for pregnant women, rightly so. Untreated pain and fever during pregnancy can present serious risks to both the mother and the child – increasing the risk of congenital malformations.
Other common analgesics, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, are recommended during pregnancy until under medical supervision, because they present risks to the child, including problems with blood circulation, lung development and kidney.
The authority to regulate drugs in the UK has reaffirmed that paracetamol can be used during pregnancy when administered as directions.
For pregnant women suffering from pain, NHS continues to recommend the first measures to be attempted – output, water consumption and avoiding screens. But when they do not work, paracetamol remains the safest pharmaceutical option when administered in the lowest dose for the shortest time.
Finally, the debate between paracetamol and autism illustrates a familiar model: the complex science reduced to political statements. Autism is a multifactorial condition modeled by genetics and medium, not being generated by a single pill administered during pregnancy.
