The British journal BMJ has compiled a body of knowledge regarding the possible link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and the emergence of autistic disorders in children. He concluded that there was no cause and effect relationship, contrary to what the American president and his Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr. claimed.
Based on scientific knowledge, it is not possible to establish a link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and the emergence of autistic disorder in children, concluded a large study published in the British medical journal BMJ on Monday, refuting Donald Trump’s comments.
“Currently available data are insufficient to prove an association between in utero exposure to paracetamol and autism and attention deficit disorder (ADHD) in childhood,” the study concluded.
US President Donald Trump has suggested such a relationship several times in recent weeks. In September, he explicitly asked pregnant women not to take paracetamol.
The scientific community widely condemned these allegations, noting that the medical consensus does not support such a link, and that paracetamol – marketed as Tylenol in the United States – is actually the painkiller of choice for pregnant women, unlike aspirin or ibuprofen, which have been shown to pose risks to the fetus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed, soon after Trump’s remarks, that there is no evidence of such a link.
A study that strengthens the consensus
Research published by the British medical journal BMJ reinforces this consensus. It is not based on new research but provides the most complete and precise picture to date of the state of knowledge. This is an “umbrella magazine”. This type of work brings together other studies that try to gather knowledge. In short, it is a synthesis of syntheses.
Several studies have shown a possible link between paracetamol and autism or ADHD. But the quality was “low” or “very low,” according to the BMJ study authors, and often, they did not take enough precautions to exclude the role of other factors such as genetic predisposition, or maternal health problems.
These criticisms relate specifically to a study, published in 2025, in the journal Environmental Health and routinely cited by the Trump administration. He raised the possibility of a connection, but without concluding that there was one.
Several experts welcomed the BMJ research. “(It) is based on high-quality methodology that confirms what is repeated by experts around the world,” said Dimitrios Sassiakos, professor of obstetrics at University College London, in reaction to the British Science Media Center.
In addition to paracetamol, Donald Trump and his Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr., have frequently made unsubstantiated claims about autism, either regarding the existence of an “epidemic” or in connection with vaccinations.
