Taking acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol and other over-the-counter medications, during pregnancy could put children at higher risk for multiple behavioral problems, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The study specifically looked at data from 7,796 mothers and their children and partners who took part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children between 1991 and 1992.
The researchers studied the link between the children‘s behavioral problems and both the prenatal (the period during pregnancy) and postnatal (after pregnancy) use of acetaminophen by mothers and their partners. Mothers were questioned during pregnancy at 18 and 32 weeks, and again when their children were 5 years old. A follow-up questionnaire at age 7 addressed mothers’ reports of behavioral problems.
The study suggests that taking acetaminophen at 18 and 32 weeks of pregnancy could spell future hyperactivity, conduct and emotional issues in children.
However, study author Dr. Evie Stergiakouli is quick to point out that these potential risks should be carefully weighed against the risks of not treating fever or pain during pregnancy.
“[Pregnant women] should still use acetaminophen as required because there is a risk to not treating fever or pain during pregnancy,” Stergiakouli notes in an email to U.S. News. “For example, untreated fever during pregnancy can lead to premature labour.”
She also cautions that the study didn’t take into account acetaminophen dosage information or how long subjects used acetaminophen — factors that could have played into the findings.
Stergiakouli also stressed that her study wasn’t designed to determine a cause-and-effect relationship. “Observational associations do not necessarily mean that there is a causal association between the risk factor and the health outcome,” she says. Her team plans to investigate this link further using study designs that could inform on a causal relationship.
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Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy Linked to Child Behavior Problems originally appeared on usnews.com
