A group representing Canadian obstetricians and gynecologists reviews evidence regarding the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and says they argue that painkillers are safe.
The Canadian Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said on Monday it revisited its position in light of questioning whether there is a link between mothers taking acetaminophen during pregnancy and their child's autism.
The Wall Street Journal recently published a story that US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this month that he plans to release a report linking autism to the use of common painkillers during pregnancy.
“We want to move ahead and ahead of the media, social media and, unfortunately, the misinformation that comes with this.
The SOGC said there was no causal evidence linking prenatal acetaminophen with any particular neurodevelopmental disorder. That coincides with the stances of American obstetricians and gynecologists.
He also said that untreated fever during pregnancy poses a well-documented risk for both mothers and babies, and pain management is a human right that should not be denied by women.
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Untreated fever, especially early pregnancy, is at a higher risk of miscarriage, birth defects and premature birth, according to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Association.
Generally, health agencies and doctors say that acetaminophen is OK to use in pregnancy when medically necessary, at recommended doses, and when the required period is required.
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Nature reviews the 2021 endocrinology editorial, questioning the safety of acetaminophen during pregnancy and bringing attention to this issue.
In response, the SOGC released a position paper that year, stating that the evidence of causal claims had many fundamental flaws that should not change current clinical practice. It includes and does not take into account factors known to increase the risk of neurodevelopment in children, such as genetics and certain health conditions.
“Opinions based on limited or defective evidence should not promote unfair fear and guilt among pregnant women,” the position paper states.
Smith said the article showed a “potential association” between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and fetal development. However, he said the association does not correspond to causality.
“We certainly have no data indicating cause and effect,” Smith said Tuesday.
He said a large NIH-funded study looking at this same issue found that when researchers compared sibling neurodevelopment, they found that if the siblings were exposed to acetaminophen in the uterine, and the other was not, the risk was not increased.
“This suggests that the associations observed in other models may be attributed to familial confounding,” the study concluded.
& Copy 2025 Canada Report