Medical professionals across the United States are voicing strong disagreement with President Trump’s recent comments advising pregnant women not to take Tylenol, a move that many in the health community say risks creating unnecessary fear and confusion.
On Monday, the president, alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claimed that acetaminophen—the active ingredient in Tylenol—may increase the risk of autism when taken during pregnancy.
Trump told the public that there was “no downside” to avoiding Tylenol altogether, urging expectant mothers to “tough it out” instead of using the common pain reliever.
The announcement represents a sharp reversal from decades of medical guidance. For years, Tylenol has been recommended as the safest option for pregnant women to treat pain or fever, since other common medications like ibuprofen or aspirin carry well-documented risks of miscarriage or birth defects.
“Not About Toughing It Out”
CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. John LaPook responded bluntly to Trump’s remarks. “It’s not a matter of toughing it out,” he said, explaining that untreated pain and high fever during pregnancy can endanger both mother and fetus. According to LaPook, Tylenol has been a standard option precisely because there are no good alternatives.
LaPook emphasized that while some research has hinted at a possible link between acetaminophen and autism, larger, higher-quality studies—including a Swedish study of 2.5 million children—have found no such connection. “The literature is conflicted,” he noted. “That’s why we usually say, ‘show your work.’”
“No Proven Link”
Dr. Celine Gounder, a medical contributor to CBS News, went further. “The best evidence we have does not show that Tylenol causes autism,” she said.
Gounder criticized the administration for cherry-picking research that supports their claims while ignoring the bulk of studies showing no link.
She also warned that discouraging Tylenol use could backfire. Pregnant women often take the drug to treat fevers or infections, conditions that themselves can increase the risk of developmental disorders.
“It’s not the Tylenol that’s the problem,” she explained. “It’s the fever or infection.”
Longstanding Guidance Already Matches New Advice
Dr. Stephen Fleischman, another medical expert, noted that the White House announcement largely repeated existing medical advice, though in more alarming terms.
“No one takes Tylenol unless it’s necessary,” he said. “We’ve always told patients to use it for fever or pain, but not as if it were a daily supplement.”
Fleischman also pushed back against Trump’s assertion of a “very increased risk” of autism. “I would disagree with that statement,” he said. Autism spectrum disorder, he explained, is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors, making it difficult to assign blame to a single medication.
Again pointing to the Swedish sibling study, he said: “They showed no increased risk of autism in the offspring between the two groups. That’s the kind of evidence we should rely on.”
Autism Rates and Misunderstandings
NBC News medical reporter Erika Edwards highlighted another issue: the president’s claims about rising autism rates. Trump linked the increase to Tylenol, but experts say the numbers are better explained by broader awareness and expanded diagnostic criteria. In 2000, 1 in 150 children in the U.S. were diagnosed with autism. By 2023, that figure was 1 in 31.
“Experts say nothing new is happening biologically,” Edwards said. “We’re just identifying more cases because the definition of autism spectrum disorder has broadened, and awareness has grown.”
The Bigger Concern
For many doctors, the central concern is not Tylenol itself, but the confusion caused by the president’s words.
“My worry,” Dr. Gounder said, “is that pregnant women will avoid Tylenol even when it’s entirely appropriate, like when they have a fever. That could put both the mother and the baby at risk.”
Dr. Kavita Patel, also speaking with NBC, stressed that studies showing an association between Tylenol and autism have not proven causation. “To distill it all to ‘one thing caused the other’ is not reading the research correctly,” she explained.
Bottom Line for Expectant Mothers
Despite the president’s claims, the consensus among doctors remains unchanged:
Tylenol is still the safest first-line option for pain and fever during pregnancy.
It should be used at the lowest effective dose and only when needed.
Avoiding Tylenol unnecessarily could expose mothers and babies to greater risks from untreated fevers or infections.
While the administration has promised further research into autism, experts say spreading premature warnings without solid data could do more harm than good.
As Dr. Fleischman summed it up: “Making a statement like this, without clear scientific backing, doesn’t clarify the picture—it muddies it.”