By Georgie Hewson

Copyright abc

The Trump administration has issued controversial advice about the possible causes of autism, suggesting the neurodevelopmental condition could be linked to the use of paracetamol in pregnancy.

The claim has been criticised by medical experts, who say there’s no evidence the drug causes the condition.

In Australia, they’re also concerned it will deter expectant mothers from using paracetamol to treat fever or pain, which could prove detrimental to the health of the child.

Here’s what they had to say.

Andrew Whitehouse

The Kids Research Institute Australia

Professor Whitehouse, who researches autism in children, said that there is categorically no evidence that paracetamol use causes the condition.

He says some studies have suggested a “small, weak” association, but they haven’t proven a cause or link.

“At best, this is a misreading of science; at worst, it is a misuse.”

He pointed to other studies that suggest there is no connection and is concerned that this will deter use of the drug when it may be necessary.

“Women don’t take paracetamol during pregnancy on a whim,” he told AM.

“What we know is that paracetamol is really effective in reducing fever in pregnancy, and also reducing pain. And there are consequences of not reducing fever or pain that can have implications for the health of the mum, as well as the health of the baby.

“So any kind of research in this area must always look at a balance of what could be the effects of not taking this.”

Danielle McMullen

President of the Australian Medical Association

Dr McMullen says paracetamol is considered a category A medicine, which means the TGA and other regulators consider it safe to use in pregnancy.

“Certainly for pain or fever in pregnancy, the advice is still here that paracetamol in pregnancy is a reasonable and safe option for Australian women to use,” she said.

“It’s really important that we think about that science and critically analyse it before causing fear in families, and hence, why the medical community today is responding and saying all medicines should be used with caution during pregnancy, but paracetamol has been widely used and is still considered a safe option.”

Norman Swan

Radio National’s Health Report host

Dr Swan says the studies that Mr Trump is pointing to are “messy” and “poorly conducted”.

“When you have looked at the studies, the definition of what is wrong with the children has been loose, you’re not quite sure if the woman did take Tylenol, the paracetamol and what they took it for,” he said.

“Women are taking it for a reason.

“What is known is that fever in pregnancy is not good for the unborn child and you want to prevent fever, hence influenza immunisation, hence COVID immunisation.

“You want to minimise the chances a woman will get infected with a virus.

“If you do get a fever, paracetamol is what will get rid of it.”

Hannah Kirk

National Health and Medical Research Council

Dr Kirk, a fellow at Monash University, said Mr Trump’s announcement had raised concern among expectant parents.

“Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition with no known single cause; however, research shows that genetics play a large role, with hundreds of genes being linked to autism,” she said.

“No study has shown that acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, causes autism.

“Some studies have reported an association between acetaminophen use and autism, while others have not.

“Importantly, association does not mean causation.”

Scott White

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)

The chair of RANZCOG said robust scientific evidence shows no link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism or ADHD, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting the Trump administration’s statement.

“Previous research raised concerns that exposure to paracetamol during pregnancy may increase the chance of the offspring being diagnosed with ASD or ADHD during childhood,” Professor White wrote in a statement.

“The earlier studies showed an association between paracetamol exposure and these diagnoses, but were importantly limited by a methodological inability to differentiate between the effect of paracetamol as a causative exposure as opposed to a statistical association.

“The most recent and robust study to evaluate this association was published in 2024 by Ahlqvist et al.

“This study of 2.5 million Swedish children found that, when controlling for important factors including parental neurodivergent diagnoses and sibling relationships, there was no association between paracetamol exposure and offspring neurodivergence.”