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BTS: Paracetamol, Pregnancy and Autism: What Parents Need to Know

BTS: Paracetamol, Pregnancy and Autism: What Parents Need to Know

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In this episode of Baby Tribe Shorts, Afif and Anne tackle the anxiety caused by recent headlines linking paracetamol use in pregnancy with autism, ADHD and intellectual disability. They walk through a major Lancet systematic review and meta-analysis, explaining why the best-quality evidence, especially sibling comparison studies, does not support a causal link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and these neurodevelopmental outcomes.

The episode also explains why paracetamol remains the recommended first-line option for pain and fever in pregnancy, why untreated fever can itself be harmful, and why earlier studies may have suggested a risk because of confounding, recall bias and the reasons people take medication in the first place. The key message for parents is clear: use paracetamol when needed, at recommended doses, and don’t let fear-driven headlines make pregnancy harder than it already is.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanogw/article/PIIS3050-5038(25)00211-0/fulltext

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