Oregon Health Officials Reject Trump’s Claim That Tylenol in Pregnancy Causes Autism

Trump’s Tylenol Link To Autism Denied By OHA

Trump recently said acetaminophen can be associated with a significantly increased risk of autism. He declared, “Taking Tylenol is not good. I’ll say it. Not good”

While the president advised all pregnant women to consult their doctors about limiting the use of this medication during pregnancy, the OHA, reaffirming its commitment to providing evidence-based information to the public, presented science-backed facts.

The OHA emphasized that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists said there is no definitive evidence linking the medication to autism in children, confirming the safety and benefits of Tylenol during pregnancy.

Science-based evidence indicates that autism is a complex diagnosis that does not have a single cause. Studies on acetaminophen use by pregnant women and their link to autism show:

A UCLA study also confirmed that autism is hereditary, and 80% of the time it runs in families. Medical experts have indicated that the increase in the number of autism diagnoses is mainly due to increased screening, combined with evolving definitions of the disorder. They have also said the causes are predominantly dictated by genetics.
A scientific study on acetaminophen use during pregnancy of over two million children published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2024 specifically showed no increased autism risk when adjusting for genetics.

It is also widely accepted that untreated fevers, a symptom treated by Tylenol, in pregnancy, are associated with neural tube defects. Kenvue, the manufacturer of Tylenol, has also strongly disagreed with the administration’s findings and pointed to scientific reviews by government regulators worldwide, including some published by the FDA.

Despite this, the FDA is expected to begin notifying doctors of the potential ties between acetaminophen and an increased risk of autism.