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Posts on social media stating that Tylenol has not been tested during pregnancy and is not recommended for pregnant women are being taken out of context, Tylenol’s maker said on Sept. 24.
One 2017 post from the official Tylenol X account says, “We actually don’t recommend using any of our products while pregnant.” Another from 2019 states, “we haven’t tested Tylenol to be used during pregnancy.”
“We do not make recommendations on taking any medications in pregnancy because that is the job of a healthcare provider,” a spokesperson for Kenvue, which manufactures Tylenol, told The Epoch Times in an email on Wednesday.
The spokesperson said the posts do not address the full guidance on safely using Tylenol, which has an active ingredient called acetaminophen and is used to reduce pain and fever.
“Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy,” the spokesperson said. “Our products are safe and effective when used as directed on the product label. We recommend pregnant women do not take any over-the-counter medication, including acetaminophen, without talking to their doctor first.”
The label for Tylenol says, “If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.”
The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services hadresurfaced the X posts. The White House included a picture of President Donald Trump holding a hat that read, “Trump was right about everything.”
In a press conference earlier in the week led by Trump, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and other officials said they were issuing a new warning regarding acetaminophen use in pregnancy, given accumulating research that has found indications it can increase the risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
“Evidence has accumulated suggesting that the use of acetaminophen by pregnant women may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD in children,” Makary wrote in a letter to physicians.
Officials said that Tylenol can still be taken during pregnancy following consultation with a doctor.
Some outside groups criticized the announcement. “The data from numerous studies have shown that acetaminophen plays an important—and safe—role in the well-being of pregnant women,” Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement.
Critics pointed to, among other papers, a Swedish study from 2024 that found no link between in utero exposure to acetaminophen and diagnosis of autism or ADHD.
Federal officials noted other research, including a review published in August that concluded that the body of research into the topic includes evidence of a link.
A Kenvue spokesperson said previously that “we believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.”
