President Trump’s comments this week urging pregnant people to resist taking Tylenol are getting pushback from doctors who argue that mitigating fever during pregnancy is crucial for the health of the fetus.
On Monday, Trump appeared at the White House alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to announce that the Food and Drug Administration will advise doctors to caution pregnant patients against using Tylenol and other acetaminophen-based drugs. Trump cited an unproven theory that the pain reliever and fever reducer has been linked to increased rates of autism, and recommended that pregnant people “tough it out” instead of taking Tylenol. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, however, states Trump’s claims are “not backed by the full body of scientific evidence,” noting in a statement on Monday that “not a single reputable study” has concluded that acetaminophen “causes neurodevelopmental disorders in children.”
What’s more, ACOG said that such claims are “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.”
“Acetaminophen is one of the few options available to pregnant patients to treat pain and fever, which can be harmful to pregnant people when left untreated. Maternal fever, headaches as an early sign of preeclampsia, and pain are all managed with the therapeutic use of acetaminophen, making acetaminophen essential to the people who need it,” the group’s statement said. “The conditions people use acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are far more dangerous than any theoretical risks and can create severe morbidity and mortality for the pregnant person and the fetus.”
Why it’s important to treat fever during pregnancy
Yahoo spoke to doctors who said that a fever during pregnancy can be more than just uncomfortable — it can be dangerous.
Dr. Eli Reshef, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist in Chicago, told Yahoo that the evidence that fever increases the risk of miscarriages and birth defects is far stronger than any evidence about any adverse effects of Tylenol on “aspects of behavior or physical or mental health of the unborn.” Birth defects caused by sustained fever can include spina bifida, heart defects and facial defects, including cleft lip and palate.
Tylenol, meanwhile, is one of the few drugs currently recommended for fever reduction during pregnancy. Other medications for reducing fever, such as ibuprofen, used in medications like Advil, and naproxen, which is used in Aleve, can impact fetal development.
While there are other measures to reduce fever, such as taking a cold shower or using cold compresses, ob-gyn Dr. Thomas Dardarian of Axia Women’s Health told Yahoo that taking the lowest recommended dose of Tylenol necessary for the shortest duration of time is “considered safe in pregnancy” — meaning there’s no reason to tough it out. “It is one of the most widely studied drugs in pregnancy,” he said, “and there is no new evidence to the contrary.”
