Mother’s Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy Increases Child ADHD Risk

Introduction

Fetal acetaminophen exposure increases the probability that a child develops attention/hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD), according to a study published on February 6, 2025 in Mental Health of Nature.

Main article

Exposure to fetal acetaminophen increases the probability that a child develops attention/hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD), according to a study published on February 6 in the mental health of nature.

Previous research shows that more than 70% of pregnant women use acetaminophen during pregnancy to control pain or reduce fever. The drug, which is the active ingredient of many medications for pain relief, is one of the few considered safe during pregnancy by the United States Food and Medicines Administration.

However, the new findings suggest that doctors should reconsider the prescription of medications with acetaminophen to mothers during pregnancy, researchers said.

“Most of the previous studies asked women to self -formal if they had taken Tylenol or anything that contained acetaminophen,” said principal author Brennan Baker, a researcher at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Baker also works in the laboratory of Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a Pediatrician of UW Medicine.

“This medicine was also approved decades ago, and may need the reevaluation of the FDA,” said Sathyanarayana, lead author of the newspaper. “Acetaminophen was never evaluated for fetal exposures in relations with impacts on long -term neurological development.”

Acetaminophen is widely used during pregnancy, with 41-70% of pregnant people in the United States, Europe and Asia informing use. Despite the classification of acetaminophen as low risk by regulatory agencies such as FDA, accumulated evidence suggests a potential link between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and adverse results of neurological development, including ADHD and disorder of the autistic spectrum of the ADHD and ADD, the researchers noted.

This research tracked a cohort of 307 women from 2006 to 2011, who agreed to show blood during their pregnancy. The researchers tracked plasma biomarkers for acetaminophen in the samples.

Children born from these mothers were followed for 8 to 10 years. Among women who did not use acetaminophen during pregnancy, the ADHD rate was 9%, but for women who used acetaminophen, the ADHD rate among their descendants was 18%.

Acetaminophen metabolites were detected in 20.2% of maternal plasma samples. Children whose mothers had these biomarkers present in their plasma had a probability 3.15 times greater than a diagnosis of ADHD compared to those without detected exposure.

The association was stronger among the daughters than the sons, with the daughters of the mothers exposed to acetaminofén showing a probability of ADHD 6.16 times greater, while the association was weaker and not significant in men. The researchers did not know why the association was stronger in women.

The analysis of the researchers used data of the conditions that affect neurocognitive development and learning in the early childhood research cohort (Vela), which included 1,031 pregnant people in Memphis, Tennessee, who enrolled between 2006 and 2011.

By chance, and not by design, the study cohort included only black women, Baker said, added that the results could be generalized for women and children of any race or ethnicity.

Mothers who resort to acetaminophen, the main agent in Tylenol, instead of ibuprofen, who are more likely to negatively affect the fetal kidney or the heart, said Baker, said Baker.

“(Acetaminophen) is really the only option to control fever or pain during pregnancy,” he said.

So what should a mother do?

“Obviously, there is more work that should be done in this area,” he said. “And we need to continually update our guide.”

For example, he suggested, during prenatal visits, patients should discuss the dose of a medication that contains acetaminophen or talking about what pain has the intention of helping to handle, he said. He added that another kind of drugs, such as Triptanes, is safe and effective to handle migraines.

You need to do more work to find out if some people can tolerate acetaminophen during pregnancy without harmful effects on the fetus, while others cannot, he said.

He added that the results of the investigation into the effects of medication and its potential risks during pregnancy have not been consistent.

A study recently published in Sweden, showed no link between the use of maternal acetaminophen and ADHD in their children; While another study outside Norway, in fact he found a link. However, Sweden’s study was based on self -informed data, Baker said.

“However, Sweden’s study reported that only 7% of pregnant people used acetaminophen,” Baker said. “And that study could have underestimated the exhibition.

“I think it goes back to how the data was collected,” he added. “Conflicting results mean that more research is needed.”

Medical societies and FDA must update the orientation on the use of acetaminophane as security data arise, said Sathyanarayana.

Editorial Note: This study serves as a critical reminder of potential risks associated with common medications during pregnancy. As future mothers often seek relief of discomfort, it is essential to balance that with possible long -term impacts on their children’s health. More research is needed to establish safe practices, ensuring the well -being of mothers and their future children, Disabled world (DW).

Attribution/source (s): This pairs reviewed publication was selected for publication by the Disabent World (DW) editors due to its relevance for the disability community. Originally written by Faculty of Medicine of the University of Washington/Medicine UW and published on 2025/02/21, this content may have been edited by style, clarity or brevity. For more details or clarifications, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Washington/Medicine UW can be contacted in Washington.edu NOTE: Disapreded World does not provide any guarantee or endorsement related to this article.

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Quot this page: Faculty of Medicine of the University of Washington/Medicine UW. (2025, February 21). The use of the mother’s acetaminophen during pregnancy increases the risk of children’s ADHD. Disabled world (DW). Retrieved on February 23, 2025 from www.disable-world.com/health/neurology/adhd-autism/maternal-acetaminophen.php

Permanent link: Mother’s use of acetaminophen during pregnancy increases the risk of child adhd : The study reveals the risk of ADHD development was three times older among children whose mothers used acetaminophen during pregnancy.

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