Several possible studies
Story checked
Exploring the Evidence on Acetaminophen During Pregnancy | Step Ahead ABA (opens in a new tab)
stepaheadaba.com · 2025-05-11
Short answer
Several possible studiesNo clear answer.
More than one paper fits the article's details, and none fits well enough to single out. Checking claims against the wrong study would be worse than not checking them at all.
Checked against the study summary. The full text wasn't available, so some details couldn't be settled either way.
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Exploring the Evidence on Acetaminophen During Pregnancy | Step Ahead ABA
stepaheadaba.com · 2025-05-11
The story’s checkable claims.
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Several studies could be the source of this story.
More than one paper fits the article's details, and none fits well enough to single out. Checking claims against the wrong study would be worse than not checking them at all.
Open claim evidenceSearch result
Several studies could fit.
More than one paper fits the article's details, and none fits well enough to single out. Checking claims against the wrong study would be worse than not checking them at all.
Source layer
The 2 papers the story cites
Source study separated from background citations.
The research anchor for the report.
- The study this story reportspresented as the new finding
Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability.
JAMA · 2024
- Cited as backgroundpresented as earlier work
Prenatal and postnatal exposure to acetaminophen in relation to autism spectrum and attention-deficit and hyperactivity symptoms in childhood: Meta-analysis in six European population-based cohorts
European Journal of Epidemiology · 2021
Evidence layer
Claim by claim
What the story asserts. With no source study, there is nothing to check these against.
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Claim 1 of 5Not checkedA Johns Hopkins study of 996 newborns' umbilical cord blood found that higher prenatal acetaminophen exposure was associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, with a dose-dependent pattern and the highest exposure group nearly three times more likely to be diagnosed.View evidenceHide evidence
As statednearly three times more likely; medium exposure about 2.14x for autism and 2.26x for ADHD; highest exposure about 3.62x for autism and 2.86x for ADHD
Not checked
NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.
Claim 2 of 5Not checkedA NIH-funded Boston Birth Cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry reported similar associations between higher cord-blood acetaminophen levels and higher risks of ADHD and ASD.View evidenceHide evidence
As statedabout 2.86 times higher risk for ADHD and 3.62 times higher for ASD
Not checked
NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.
Claim 3 of 5Not checkedA nationwide Swedish cohort study of more than 2.4 million children, using sibling-control analyses, found no significant increase in autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability associated with maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy.View evidenceHide evidence
As statedover 2.4 million children
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NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.
Claim 4 of 5Not checkedA 2018 meta-analysis of more than 132,000 mother-child pairs suggested that prolonged acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy could increase the risk of autism by about 20% and ADHD by about 30%.View evidenceHide evidence
As statedaround 20% for autism and about 30% for ADHD
Not checked
NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.
Claim 5 of 5Not checkedThe article says current health guidance from the FDA and ACOG is that acetaminophen can be used during pregnancy when necessary, but pregnant people should consult a healthcare provider and use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration needed.View evidenceHide evidence
Not checked
NewsLink could not identify one source study, so this claim was not compared against a paper.
Method layer
No single source study was found.
NewsLink still surfaces nearby research so you can inspect the field instead of a single paper.
Nearby research
No exact source, but these papers are close.
PubMed, Crossref, Europe PMC · 17 candidate papers
Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability.
JAMA · 2024 · PubMed
Prenatal and postnatal exposure to acetaminophen in relation to autism spectrum and attention-deficit and hyperactivity symptoms in childhood: Meta-analysis in six European population-based cohorts
European Journal of Epidemiology · 2021 · Crossref
Association Between Cord Blood Acetaminophen Biomarkers and Childhood Asthma With and Without Allergic Comorbidities.
Pediatrics · 2025 · PubMed
Acetaminophen on trial over possible links to autism, ADHD
Spectrum · 2023 · Crossref
Acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism: separating controversy from scientific evidence.
2026 · Europe PMC
And 12 more candidates considered.