Trump Claims ‘no Downside’ To Avoiding Tylenol During Pregnancy. He’s Wrong.

Obstetricians person agelong advised their pregnant patients that Tylenol is nan safest action to trim fever aliases pain. President Donald Trump stood earlier a nationalist assemblage connected Sept. 22 and contradicted that.

“Don’t return Tylenol,” Trump said during an hourlong White House property convention that included his starring wellness appointees. “There's nary downside. Don't return it. You'll beryllium uncomfortable. It won't beryllium arsenic easy, maybe, but don’t return it. If you’re pregnant, don't return Tylenol.”

His proposal has nary clear ground successful investigation and contradicts long-standing subject and aesculapian guidance. And location are downsides to avoiding acetaminophen, nan progressive constituent successful Tylenol, erstwhile it is needed. Untreated fever during gestation tin harm a mom and baby, aesculapian experts warn. Untreated symptom is simply a drawback, too.

Trump's proposal is based on the unproven idea that acetaminophen usage during gestation increases a child's consequence of autism — a stance that he and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nan longtime anti-vaccine activistic who is now Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, touted passim nan announcement.

Although immoderate studies person recovered that children exposed to acetaminophen during gestation were much apt to person autism symptoms aliases beryllium diagnosed pinch autism, different studies recovered nary specified association. Association is not nan aforesaid arsenic causation. That intends that investigation showing an relation betwixt Tylenol and autism doesn't mean nan medication caused autism.

The Food and Drug Administration's Sept. 22 property release on nan taxable said arsenic much.

“It is important to statement that while an relation betwixt acetaminophen and neurological conditions has been described successful galore studies, a causal narration has not been established and location are contrary studies successful nan technological literature,” it said. “It is besides noted that acetaminophen is nan only over-the-counter supplier approved for usage to dainty fevers during pregnancy, and precocious fevers successful pregnant women tin airs a consequence to their children.”

The White House declined to supply information showing location are nary downsides to avoiding Tylenol use. It provided a connection from White House property caput Karoline Leavitt successful which she cited “a connection” betwixt acetaminophen usage during gestation and autism arsenic nan logic for nan guidance.

“The Trump Administration does not judge popping much pills is ever nan reply for amended health,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt besides shared connected nan societal level X a statement from Andrea Baccarelli, dean of nan Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who said his investigation “found grounds of an association” betwixt prenatal acetaminophen vulnerability and neurodevelopmental disorders successful children. Baccarelli warned of nan risks of precocious fever and advocated for cautious acetaminophen usage during gestation — not broad avoidance.

The risks of untreated fever during pregnancy

Maternal and prenatal attraction groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, support nan usage of acetaminophen during pregnancy.

They reiterated this support in response to Trump's remarks.

There's bully logic for that: Acetaminophen is 1 of fewer safe options pregnant patients person to dainty fever and negociate pain.

Trump acknowledged this during nan property conference.

“Sadly, first question: What tin you return instead?” he said. “There's not an alternative.” He said that different medicines specified arsenic aspirin and Advil “are perfectly proven bad.”

In 2020, the FDA advised that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aliases NSAIDs, which see communal symptom relievers specified arsenic Advil (also known arsenic ibuprofen), Aleve (or naproxen), and aspirin shouldn't beryllium utilized during gestation aft 20 weeks of gestation.

Those medications aren't recommended during gestation because they could harm fetal development, Salena Zanotti, a Cleveland Clinic obstetrician and gynecologist, said this year.

Untreated fevers during gestation travel pinch their ain risks.

In ACOG’s Sept. 22 statement, Steven Fleischman, nan association’s president, said nan Trump administration's anti-Tylenol proposal sends a “harmful and confusing message” to pregnant patients.

“Maternal fever, headaches arsenic an early motion of preeclampsia, and symptom are each managed pinch nan therapeutic usage of acetaminophen, making acetaminophen basal to nan group who request it,” Fleischman said.

Christopher Zahn, ACOG's main of objective practice, said pregnant patients should talk pinch their doctors astir nan benefits and risks of disposable treatments. Avoiding treating aesculapian conditions that telephone for acetaminophen is “far much vulnerable than theoretical concerns based connected inconclusive reviews of conflicting science,” Zahn said.

Similarly, nan Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said that untreated fever and symptom during gestation transportation “significant maternal and babe wellness risks.”

“Untreated fever, peculiarly successful nan first trimester, increases nan consequence of miscarriage, commencement defects, and premature birth, and untreated symptom tin lead to maternal depression, anxiety, and precocious humor pressure,” it said.

Research connected these risks goes backmost much than a decade: A 2014 Pediatrics review of disposable grounds connected fevers during gestation recovered “substantial evidence” that maternal fever mightiness negatively impact fetal wellness successful nan short and agelong term, including expanding nan risks of neural conduit defects, congenital bosom defects, and oral clefts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says that fever during gestation has been linked to adverse outcomes including commencement defects.

MotherToBaby, a nonprofit that provides accusation astir nan benefits and risks of medications and different exposures during gestation and while breastfeeding, warns that a fever-caused summation successful assemblage somesthesia during early gestation carries risks, including a mini chance for commencement defects. Some studies also found that fevers are associated pinch accrued chances of a kid having attention-deficit/hyperactivity upset aliases autism.

Kenvue, Tylenol's genitor company, said acetaminophen is “the safest symptom reliever” action disposable passim pregnancy.

“Without it, women look vulnerable choices: suffer done conditions for illustration fever that are perchance harmful to some mom and babe aliases usage riskier alternatives,” nan company's connection said. “High fevers and symptom are wide recognized arsenic imaginable risks to a gestation if near untreated.”

Tylenol, responding to nan news attention on Instagram, cited nan ACOG position connected acetaminophen usage during gestation and highlighted a conception of nan Tylenol explanation that encourages group who are pregnant aliases breastfeeding to talk to a wellness professional.

“Your expert is nan champion personification to counsel whether taking medicine is correct for you based connected your circumstantial wellness needs,” nan video said.

Our ruling

Trump said “there's nary downside” to avoiding Tylenol usage during pregnancy.

Researchers person agelong documented wellness risks associated pinch untreated fevers during pregnancy. They tin lead to accrued consequence of commencement defects and different gestation complications, peculiarly successful nan first trimester. Untreated symptom tin lead to maternal slump and anxiety. These risks outweigh conflicting investigation into imaginable links betwixt nan supplier and autism, according to maternal and fetal wellness organizations.

Doctors and researchers person recovered acetaminophen to beryllium a safe symptom and fever reducer during pregnancy. By comparison, different over-the-counter symptom relievers travel pinch documented risks, making Tylenol 1 of nan only options disposable to pregnant mothers.

We complaint Trump's connection Pants connected Fire!