23/09/2025
Please see below statement issued by RANZCOG.
Paracetamol Use in Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism or ADHD, RANZCOG Asserts
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG, the College) joins leading clinicians and scientists worldwide in vehemently rejecting these claims. Robust scientific evidence shows no link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism or ADHD, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting the administration’s statement.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are considered in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as disorders of neurodevelopment. Many people who meet the diagnostic criteria for these conditions consider that they are not disorders of neurodevelopment but, rather, different neurotypes as distinct from the most common or typical neurotype. RANZCOG acknowledges that people with these neurotypes face additional challenges in accessing standard models of health care and supports a neuro-affirming approach to providing care to all neurodivergent people.
The causes of neurodivergence are incompletely understood but are known to be complex and to include both genetic and environmental contributors.
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. 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.
