Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged expectant mothers to completely ignore Donald Trump's unfounded claims linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism. The US president suggested the painkiller Tylenol, known as paracetamol in the UK, could be a potential cause of what he described as a "meteoric rise" in autism cases.
Streeting told ITV's Lorraine: "I trust doctors over President Trump, frankly, on this." He emphasised there is "no evidence to link the use of paracetamol by pregnant women to autism in their children. None."
The Health Secretary urged pregnant women not to pay "any attention whatsoever" to Trump's medical advice, telling viewers to "listen to British doctors, British scientists, the NHS" instead.
Trump's controversial medical guidance
Trump told pregnant women they should "tough it out" rather than take the medication and raised unfounded concerns about vaccines. He announced that the US Food and Drug Administration would notify all American doctors with new guidance about paracetamol, saying: "Ideally, you don't take it at all, but if you have to, if you can't tough it out, if there's a problem, you're going to end up doing it."
The president claimed: "There are certain groups of people that don't take vaccines and don't take any pills, that have no autism." His comments drew sharp criticism from autism campaigners and scientists across the UK, particularly concerning vaccine misinformation during a time when children are dying from preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.
Major study contradicts claims
A comprehensive Swedish study conducted in 2024 involving 2.4 million children found no link between paracetamol exposure in the womb and subsequent autism, ADHD or intellectual disability. Dr Monique Botha from Durham University explained the research "used actual sibling data and found no relationship between exposure to paracetamol in utero and subsequent autism, ADHD or intellectual disability."
The study's findings directly contradict Trump's assertions and provide robust scientific evidence against any causal link between the painkiller and developmental disorders. Experts note that rising autism cases in the US mainly result from expanded diagnostic criteria now including mild cases on a spectrum and improved diagnosis methods.
NHS maintains safety guidance
The NHS website states that "paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you're pregnant" and confirms it "does not harm your baby". Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said paracetamol "has been used safely by millions of people for decades, including during pregnancy, when taken as directed."
Botha highlighted that pain relief options for pregnant women are "woefully lacking" and that paracetamol represents "a much safer pain relief option during pregnancy than basically any other alternative".
Experts warn against dangerous misinformation
Mel Merritt from the National Autistic Society said the "incessant misinformation" from Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr "risks undermining decades of research by respected experts". She warned that such claims could create "further fear, stigmatisation and harm" for autistic people and their families.
Botha cautioned that the fearmongering "risks stigmatising families who have autistic children as having brought it on themselves and reinvigorates the long pattern of maternal shame and blame". She warned this could prevent women from accessing appropriate medical care during pregnancy.
A study from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health published in August reported potential links between acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, researchers concluded that whilst steps should be taken to limit use, the drug remained important for treating fever and pain in mothers, which could also harm babies.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
