President Donald Trump held a press convention on Monday during which he claimed that using acetaminophen (generally generally known as Tylenol) in being pregnant could also be linked to autism ― though medical consultants overwhelmingly stress there’s little or no scientific proof that helps this assertion.
“Taking Tylenol is not good. I’ll say it. It’s not good,” Trump mentioned. He introduced that the Meals and Drug Administration will likely be “strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.”
The president later admitted that his recommendation on the drug was coming from his personal private emotions. “I’m just making these statements from me,” he mentioned. “I’m not making them from these doctors, because when they talk about, you know, different results, different studies, I talk about a lot of common sense. And they have that, too. They have that too, a lot.”
On Monday, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned in a press release that the Trump administration “does not believe popping more pills is always the answer for better health” and “will not be deterred in these efforts as we know millions across America are grateful.”
Skilled medical organizations, from the American School of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to the American Psychiatric Affiliation, refuted Trump’s allegations on social media, asserting that there’s “no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism” and “a strong base of evidence shows that acetaminophen, when taken as directed, is safe for use during pregnancy.”
Analysis exhibits there is no such thing as a affiliation between taking acetaminophen throughout being pregnant and the danger of growing autism. Acetaminophen is presently one in all only a few over-the-counter medicines accredited to deal with ache or fever throughout being pregnant. In actual fact, fevers might be detrimental to a fetus’ well being; analysis exhibits that in early being pregnant, the problem could cause neural tube defects, coronary heart defects and extra.
Individuals who work within the medical group are alarmed by the Trump administration’s statements on acetaminophen and the implications these statements have for pregnant folks, folks with autism and extra. HuffPost requested medical consultants to share their unfiltered ideas on the information. Right here’s what they needed to say.
Some final names have been eliminated to guard privateness, and a few responses have been calmly edited for size, type and readability.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump’s statements were “reckless and irresponsible.”
“The president’s remarks were both reckless and irresponsible. He advised pregnant patients to avoid Tylenol (acetaminophen) without presenting any credible evidence of harm, suggesting they should simply ‘tough it out.’ In reality, untreated pain and fever pose serious risks during pregnancy, and acetaminophen remains the only safe option we have.” ―Dr. Eric Burnett, an inside drugs physician at an instructional medical heart in New York and a well being communicator on social media
They’re additionally “cruel” and might be “dangerous for fetal outcomes.”
“It’s incredibly cruel to punish, frighten and shame pregnant people like this. Pregnancy is already so physically taxing on the body. Telling women in pain or experiencing fevers to ‘tough it out’ is senseless, unscientific and dangerous for fetal outcomes.” ―Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious illness epidemiologist
“Sweeping claims” trigger pointless and unfair guilt for folks of youngsters with autism.
“Autism is complex, and we need to be very careful about what conclusions we take from observational studies. Larger, higher-quality sibling studies that control for other factors (like genetics) have found no link between acetaminophen exposure and autism.
Just because there is a link between two things does not mean that one causes the other. The analogy I like to use is that more people eat ice cream during the summer AND there are more shark bites during the summer. But that doesn’t mean ice cream-eating causes shark bites. I think these headlines and claims also disregard the fact that untreated pain and fever in pregnancy carry real risks to both mom and baby (and also increase the risk for neurodevelopmental conditions). Making sweeping claims without incorporating all of the data also increases guilt unnecessarily for parents whose children do have an autism diagnosis, and causes further stigma around the diagnosis.” ―Dr. Krupa Playforth, board-certified pediatrician and founding father of The Pediatrician Mother
There may be “no association between acetaminophen and autism.”
“The recent claims linking Tylenol to autism place immense guilt on mothers who used the only fever reducer and over-the-counter pain medication recommended as safe during pregnancy … Honestly, this is, simply put, cruel. The largest study we have to date out of [Sweden] included 2.5 million children, controlled for genetic and possible environmental exposures in a sibling-matched analysis, and showed NO association between acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) and autism.
My biggest concern with the claims between a causal link in autism (without any studies to prove causation) is fetuses will be exposed to fevers, which we KNOW [cause] neural tube defects, cardiac defects and potential neurodevelopmental disorders. Acetaminophen is the ONLY over-the-counter fever reducer available to pregnant individuals.
More troubling is the underlying premise that treats autism as a preventable tragedy rather than recognizing it as neurological difference. This messaging deeply stigmatizes millions of children and adults who are living fulfilling lives and contributing unique strengths to our communities. Sensationalizing unproven theories perpetuates the harmful narrative that autism is something to fear, rather than embracing neurodiversity and supporting autistic people to thrive. I truly worry that this rhetoric will lead to harm to these children (and adults). ―Dr. Anita Patel, a pediatric critical care doctor in Washington, D.C.
This guidance is “ignorance dressed up as policy.”
“‘Tough it out.’ Hearing a group of men say that about pregnancy? My God. I would love to see one of them pregnant and hear them repeat that line. Women don’t just take Tylenol for fun. They take it for fever, which we know can harm a pregnancy if untreated, and for pain, when there truly aren’t safer options for the fetus.
So, telling pregnant people to just ‘tough it out’ isn’t medical advice — it’s ignorance dressed up as policy.” ―Dr. Mona Amin, a pediatrician in Florida and founding father of @pedsdoctalk
This transfer can have “devastating effects for decades.”
“I am full of rage. The decision to blatantly disregard science and blame mothers for the cause of autism will have devastating effects for decades.” —Kim, a nurse anesthetist in Pennsylvania
This may lead to “health care choices that could potentially place a pregnant woman and her child at grave risk.”
“How can women make responsible, research-based decisions about their reproductive health and that of their unborn children when those in positions of power and influence use their platforms to spin and disregard established data? The result is, at best, mass confusion at a time where a woman is especially vulnerable, and at worst, health care choices that could potentially place a pregnant woman and her child at grave risk.
And ultimately, who is left responsible for the outcome of the pregnancy? Women.” — Jessica McCarthy, a medical psychologist and neuropsychologist and founding father of Parts Psychological Providers
Backside line: Belief the medical professionals who “are working tirelessly to keep you safe and healthy.”
“It concerns me that this administration continues to provide recommendations not rooted in science to a society that is already vulnerable to misinformation and medical skepticism. We are trained for years in how to analyze real scientific data. Please place your trust in your medical team. We are not manipulated or influenced by anything other than facts. Facts that will keep you and your children as healthy as possible. Please do not take medical advice from someone without a medical degree. The system may be broken, but the humans in it are working tirelessly to keep you safe and healthy.” ―Sam, a nurse practitioner in Florida
