09/22/2025
Autism and Tylenol-
Is there really a link?
It dawned on me that this news is big and troubling to many. Let’s talk about it…
this isn’t new!! Reports/studies linking ASD and Tylenol have been around for nearly 10 years.
In every instance, they are correlation studies. Meaning- unable to prove causation.
Pregnant women are not supposed to take ibuprofen or other NSAIDS when they are in pain or have fever. Tylenol is their only option.
Febrile illnesses, especially in the first trimester, have been linked to increased ASD rate. These moms take Tylenol.
Inflammatory states, such as rheumatoid arthritis in pregnancy, have been linked to increased ASD rates. RA hurts. They take Tylenol.
In summary - No! Tylenol does not cause Autism!
Here are old studies linking Tylenol to ASD:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funded-study-suggests-acetaminophen-exposure-pregnancy-linked-higher-risk-adhd-autism #:~:text=They%20collected%20umbilical%20cord%20blood,Institute%20of%20Environmental%20Health%20Sciences.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2817406
One of the studies linking inflammatory states to ASD:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10593909/
One of the many studies linking fever and ASD:
https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-021-00464-4
Background Fever during pregnancy is a relatively common and most often trivial event. However, under specific conditions, it could affect significantly fetal brain development. Few studies, with inconsistent results, investigated whether fever, regardless the pathogen, could represent a risk factor...
