Taking Tylenol during pregnancy has no link to autism, new study finds

Source: The Guardian

Mon 13 Apr 2026 16.42 EDT
First published on Mon 13 Apr 2026 15.46 EDT


Taking acetaminophen – known in the US by the brand name Tylenol – during pregnancy has no effect on later autism diagnoses, according to a sweeping new study from Denmark published on Monday. The Trump administration has targeted Tylenol use in pregnancy as a major cause of autism in children, which appears to have led to a drop in pregnant people taking the pain reliever.

Through Denmark’s robust national healthcare system, researchers were able to track more than 1.5 million children ‌born between 1997 and 2022 in the national health registry, including 31,098 children who were exposed to Tylenol in utero.

Autism was diagnosed in 1.8% of children who were exposed to Tylenol and 3% of those who weren’t, according to the study, which was published in Jama Pediatrics. A similar 2024 study in Sweden found a marginal link that disappeared after taking siblings into account, suggesting that autism is strongly genetic, which has already been demonstrated in other studies.

A US review of existing studies in 2025 found a potential relationship, but it wasn’t clear whether confounders were at play. For instance, if pregnant autistic people take Tylenol more often than neurotypical pregnant people because of higher pain levels. Health officials announced in September 2025 that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would initiate a label change for acetaminophen, warning of a potential link to autism. Trump cautioned several times against taking the pain reliever during pregnancy.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/13/tylenol-acetaminophen-pregnancy-no-link-autism-latest-study