By Maggie Susa, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A supposed connection between the pain-relieving drug, Tylenol — also known as acetaminophen — and autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, has been a topic of discussion recently.
President Donald Trump on Sept. 23 suggested taking Tylenol during pregnancy can contribute to higher autism risk, a link experts say is unproven.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a letter to doctors this week suggested, they “should consider minimizing” acetaminophen’s use in pregnancy, according to the AP; however, the Coalition of Autism Scientists notes that use of acetaminophen during pregnancy hasn’t increased in recent decades like autism rates have.
But what do some West Virginia experts think?
Jimmie Beirne is the CEO of the Autism Services Center, a private nonprofit agency providing services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Mason and Putnam counties.
“As far as Tylenol goes for pregnant women, our stance would be that women who are pregnant — before considering any medication or therapy — that they would always consult with their doctor,” Beirne said.
“I will just point out, an association is not causation,” Beirne continued. “The causal relationship has not been established between acetaminophen and autism, and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.”
For anyone who does not trust that Tylenol is safe, Beirne would encourage them to look at the research themself.
“These studies cited, they definitively do not prove that Tylenol used during pregnancy causes autism. Underlying illnesses, genetic predispositions could also play a role in the development of autism. And until more definitive research is published, the U.S. FDA continues to recommend acetaminophen as the safest over-the-counter pain reliever for pregnant women,” Beirne said.
No way to prevent autism
Dr. Andrea Keller, an OB/GYN with Valley Health, agrees: Tylenol is not proven to cause autism.
“I love taking care of pregnant women, delivering babies, so I’ve kind of grown my practice over the last 18 years,” Keller said about wanting to become an obstetrician and gynecologist. “I think at this point there’s a lot of uncertainty and pregnant moms are just kind of unsure of what to do at this point, and I wanted to offer some reassurance to our pregnant patients.”
She follows recommendations from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which recommends Tylenol, taken in moderation, as a safe way to alleviate pain and fever for pregnant women.
During a Sept. 23 news conference, Trump repeatedly said there is “no downside” to not taking Tylenol. But Keller says this might not be true because if a pregnant woman leaves her fever untreated, that can cause harm to her developing baby.
“There is actually a risk for not treating high fevers in pregnant patients. Untreated fever, especially early in pregnancy, can increase your risk of miscarriage, birth defects, preterm birth, or open neural tube defects. So there can be a risk of untreated fever, especially early in pregnancy,” she said.
Effects of untreated pain can also potentially cause harm to an unborn baby.
“Untreated pain can increase a patient’s stress level, blood pressure can increase anxiety or depression,” Keller said.
She also said there is no known way for a woman to prevent autism in her baby; in fact, prevention might not even be possible.
“Unfortunately, because we still don’t really know the cause of autism, there’s not really anything a pregnant woman can do to prevent autism,” she said. “I always recommend with my patients to make sure that they take care of themselves, have a good diet, don’t take any unnecessary medications or unnecessary drugs, or alcohol, so anything unnecessary I recommend patients stay away from those environmental concerns.
“But as far as prevention of autism, because we don’t really exactly know what causes it, there’s no real way for a pregnant woman to prevent it while she is pregnant.”
Keller has had patients come to her recently with concerns about Tylenol and autism, she does her best to reassure them about the research she trusts and relies on. Tylenol is one of the only drugs a pregnant patient can take. Other common options like ibuprofen are proven to cause harm to an unborn baby.
Trust in medical professionals
As for patients who distrust medicine and do believe Tylenol causes autism, Keller said she hasn’t met any. The people who make appointments at her office might ask questions because they trust her answers and knowledge.
“It’s really hard to be pregnant right now with all the information and with all social media out there,” Keller said. “It’s really tough because there’s lots of influencers [who] are telling people not to trust physicians and physicians … don’t have the patient’s best interest at heart.
And then as a patient, they want to go to a provider because they believe that — they want to take the best care of themselves and the baby as possible.”
Feature image: Extra Strength Tylenol is shown in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, September 23, 2025. MICHAEL CONROY | AP photo
