A generic image of Tylenol acetaminophen pills.
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And women who took the painkiller 32 weeks into their pregnancy, were at a higher risk of having kids who displayed emotional symptoms or behavioural problems. They also looked at acetaminophen use by the women’s partners.
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. She explained that, as with any medication used by mothers-to-be, it should only be used when necessary.
“However, the risk of not treating fever or pain during pregnancy should be carefully weighed against any potential harm of acetaminophen to the offspring”.
Evie Stergiakouli, Ph.D., of the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, and coauthors analyzed data for 7,796 mothers enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children between 1991 and 1992 along with their children and partners.
The study collected data on mothers and children, with information on acetaminophen use collected at 18 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, and then when children were 7 years old. Post-natally, a total of 6,916 mothers (89%) and 3,454 partners (84%) used acetaminophen.
The researchers report that in 5% of offspring exposed to paracetamol through their pregnant mothers, behavioural problems were evident by the time they were seven. At 32 weeks, 3,381 mothers, or 42 per cent, said they did.
Generally, our advice would be to avoid any unnecessary exposure to medications, including acetaminophen during pregnancy.
“Further studies are required to elucidate mechanisms behind this association as well as to test alternatives to a causal explanation”.
The study doesn’t prove acetaminophen causes developmental issues in children, noted Dr. Hal Lawrence, executive vice-president and chief executive of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
“Minor aches and pains (e.g. headaches or mild backache), are common in pregnancy and often are a reason for patients to take acetaminophen”, said Dr. Aisling Murphy, assistant clinical professor at UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Murphy said she suggests her patients start with other pain relief methods, such as using hot packs, cold packs or massage.
In the United States, an estimated 5.1 million children between the ages of 4 and 17 now have ADHD, though almost 11% of kids – 6.4 million – have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To explore the connection between prenatal acetaminophen use and behavior issues in children, researchers examined data on how many women reported taking the drug at 18 weeks and 32 weeks of pregnancy as well as when their children were 5 years old.
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But the study matters only if the association between mom’s taking acetaminophen during pregnancy and her child’s behavioral problems is causal and not a coincidence – which is always a possibility in observational studies. In animal models, the drug seems to disrupt endocrine function and brain development. She added that her own research is focused on examining the effects of pollutants on pregnant women and children. They said there was no definitive proof the drug caused harm to fetuses.
