特朗普政府周一表示，怀孕期间使用泰诺可能与自闭症风险增加有关，孕妇应该限制使用泰诺，这与医学证据相矛盾。
在白宫举行的新闻发布会上，唐纳德·特朗普总统在国家最高公共卫生官员的陪同下表示，食品药品监督管理局(FDA)将立即开始通知医生，“强烈建议女性在怀孕期间限制泰诺的使用，除非有医学上的必要。”
特朗普说:“他们强烈建议女性在怀孕期间限制泰诺的使用，除非有医学上的必要。”"例如，在高烧的情况下."
对这个问题的研究没有显示出直接的因果关系。一些研究指出了可能的联系，但主要的医疗团体已经评估了证据，并继续推荐对乙酰氨基酚作为怀孕期间最安全的止痛药。
特朗普和他的卫生官员表示，FDA将更新对乙酰氨基酚(俗称泰诺)的标签，以“反映减少一些自闭症症状的潜在好处。”
但特朗普走得更远，在新闻发布会上直接对孕妇说，“不要服用泰诺。没有坏处。不要拿。”
“你会不舒服的，”他补充道。“也许不会那么容易。但是如果你怀孕了就不要服用。不要吃泰诺，宝宝出生后也不要给宝宝吃。”
特朗普一度承认，他的言论较少基于科学证据，更多基于他自己的生活经历和“常识”。
“你知道，我只是从我的角度来做这些陈述，”他说。“我并不是从这些医生那里得出这些结论，因为当他们谈论不同的结果、不同的研究时，我谈论的是许多常识。他们也有。他们也有，很多。”
主要医疗团体反应强烈，表示担心孕妇可能会被劝阻使用对乙酰氨基酚，即使他们可以受益。
美国妇产科医师学会(ACOG)主席Steven Fleischman博士在一份声明中表示，该医学组织继续推荐对乙酰氨基酚作为怀孕期间最安全的止痛药。
弗莱舍曼说:“怀孕期间使用对乙酰氨基酚导致自闭症的说法不仅引起了临床医生的高度关注，而且考虑到它们向怀孕患者发出的有害和令人困惑的信息，包括那些在怀孕期间可能需要依赖这种有益药物的人，也是不负责任的。”
“HHS今天的声明没有充分的科学证据支持，并且危险地简化了儿童神经系统挑战的许多复杂原因。这是非常令人不安的，我们的联邦卫生机构愿意在没有可靠数据支持的情况下发布一项将影响数百万人健康和福祉的公告，”声明继续说道。
周一晚上，FDA向医生发布了一份关于怀孕期间对乙酰氨基酚和自闭症之间可能存在联系的说明，这比总统的说法更有分量。
该说明包括没有证据表明泰诺导致自闭症，这种关联是科学辩论中正在进行的领域。
“需要明确的是，尽管许多研究都描述了对乙酰氨基酚和自闭症之间的联系，但因果关系尚未建立，科学文献中也有相反的研究，”该说明写道。“这种关联是一个正在进行的科学辩论领域，临床医生应该在临床决策中意识到这个问题。”
在周日泰诺制造商Kenvue的一份声明中，该公司表示，它相信研究表明对乙酰氨基酚不会导致自闭症。
“我们强烈反对任何相反的建议，并深切关注这对孕妇造成的健康风险，”声明中写道。“对乙酰氨基酚是孕妇在整个孕期所需的最安全的止痛药。如果没有它，女性将面临危险的选择:忍受发烧等对母亲和婴儿都有潜在危害的疾病，或者使用风险更高的替代品。”
关于对乙酰氨基酚是否与多动症或自闭症的高风险有关的研究一直存在分歧，但没有发表的研究发现怀孕期间使用对乙酰氨基酚会导致自闭症。也有多项研究表明疫苗和自闭症之间没有联系。
一;一个2024年4月研究由美国国立卫生研究院(NIH)资助并发表在JAMA上的研究发现，在怀孕期间使用对乙酰氨基酚与儿童患自闭症、多动症或智力残疾的风险增加无关。
在新闻发布会上，联邦官员引用了一个2025年8月元分析来自西奈山、哈佛大学陈公共卫生学院、加州大学洛杉矶分校菲尔丁公共卫生学院和麻省理工学院洛厄尔分校的研究人员发现，产前暴露于对乙酰氨基酚可能会增加儿童神经发育障碍的风险，包括自闭症和多动症。
然而，荟萃分析的作者表示，他们的工作并不能证明怀孕期间服用泰诺会导致自闭症，也没有建议怀孕患者停止使用泰诺。
哈佛大学公共卫生学院院长兼环境健康教授Andrea Baccarelli博士在一份声明中告诉ABC新闻说:“作为唯一批准的怀孕期间止痛和退烧的药物，对怀孕患者和他们的医生来说，对乙酰氨基酚仍然是一个重要的工具。”“高烧会给母亲和胎儿带来风险，包括神经管缺陷和早产。”
肯尼迪和政府中的其他人决心找到他们所称的“自闭症流行病”背后的原因。
美国疾病预防控制中心4月份的一份报告发现，2022年，估计每31名8岁儿童中就有一人被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)。相比之下，根据该报告，2020年每36人中就有一人被诊断患有自闭症。
CDC的数据显示，这也比2000年每150名儿童中有一名被诊断患有自闭症有所上升。
医学专家告诉ABC新闻，他们认为这种增长主要是由于更好的意识，更好的筛查和服务，以及扩大ASD的定义。
波士顿大学自闭症卓越研究中心主任、疫苗科学家联盟成员海伦·塔格-弗勒斯伯格(Helen Tager-Flusberg)告诉美国广播公司新闻，研究人员几十年来一直在研究自闭症的多种原因，最好的工作是结合遗传、医学和环境数据。
她警告说，在没有方法或同行评审的情况下披露发现可能会引起公众的恐慌，并破坏正在进行的NIH研究工作。
“没有一个黄金标准参数包括在新闻发布会上宣布研究结果，没有一个包括在不披露方法或研究问题的情况下进行这项研究，而是将这变成一个大惊喜，”她说。
美国政府周一还宣布，将启动一种名为醛氢叶酸的药物的审批程序，尽管其益处的证据有限。
醛氢叶酸通常被用作癌症治疗的一部分，在一些小型研究中显示出早期前景，表明它可能有助于改善一些自闭症儿童的症状。
通常情况下，新的FDA批准需要更强有力的研究。医生说，这种药物可能有一些前景，但警告说，需要更多的研究来了解这种药物对某些儿童有多大帮助，甚至是否有帮助。
在新闻稿中，该药物的制造商GSK没有提到自闭症的名字，但表示它正在启动一个程序来扩大批准。
在周一的新闻发布会上，川普和卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪也表示，儿童疫苗计划可能会导致自闭症，这与多年来发现两者之间没有联系的研究相矛盾。
Trump administration recommends pregnant women limit Tylenol, contradicting medical guidance
The Trump administration stated on Monday that the use of Tylenol during pregnancy may be linked to an increased risk of autism and that pregnant women should limit their use, contradicting medical evidence.
In a press conference at the White House, President Donald Trump, flanked by the nation's top public health officials, said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin notifying physicians immediately that it is "strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary."
"They are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary," Trump said. "That's, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever."
Studies on this question have not shown a direct cause and effect. Some studies point to a possible link, but major medical groups have evaluated the evidence and continue to recommend acetaminophen as the safest painkiller during pregnancy.
Trump and his health officials said that the FDA would update the label for acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, to "reflect potential benefits in reducing some autism symptoms."
But Trump went further, directly addressing pregnant women during the press conference, stating, "Don't take Tylenol. There's no downside. Don't take it."
"You'll be uncomfortable," he added. "It won't be as easy, maybe. But don't take it if you're pregnant. Don't take Tylenol, and don't give it to the baby after the baby is born."
At one point, Trump acknowledged that his remarks were based less on scientific evidence and more on his own life experiences and "common sense."
"You know, I'm just making these statements from me," he said. "I'm not making them from these doctors, because when they talk about, you know, different results, different studies, I talk about a lot of common sense. And they have that too. They have that too, a lot."
Major medical groups reacted strongly, expressing concern that pregnant women may be discouraged to use acetaminophen even if they could benefit.
In a statement, Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), said the medical group continues to recommend acetaminophen as the safest painkiller during pregnancy.
"Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy," Fleischman said.
"Today's announcement by HHS is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children. It is highly unsettling that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the backing of reliable data," the statement continued.
On Monday evening, the FDA released its note to doctors about a possible link between acetaminophen during pregnancy and autism, which was more measured than the president's assertions.
The note included language that there has been no evidence that Tylenol causes autism, and the association is an ongoing area of scientific debate.
"To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature," the note read. "The association is an ongoing area of scientific debate and clinicians should be aware of the issue in their clinical decision-making."
In a statement from Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, on Sunday, the company said it believes research shows that acetaminophen does not cause autism.
"We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers," the statement read. "Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives."
Studies have been mixed on whether acetaminophen is linked to a higher risk of ADHD or autism, but no published study has found that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism. There are also multiple studies that show there is no link between vaccines and autism.
AnApril 2024 study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in JAMA, found that using acetaminophen during pregnancy was not linked to an increased risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in children.
During the press conference, federal officials cited anAugust 2025 meta-analysisfrom researchers at Mt. Sinai, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and UMass Lowell that found prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and ADHD, in children.
However, the authors of the meta-analysis said their work does not prove Tylenol taken during pregnancy causes autism, and did not recommend that pregnant patients stop using Tylenol.
"[A]s the only approved medication for pain and fever reduction during pregnancy, acetaminophen remains an important tool for pregnant patients and their physicians," co-author Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the faculty and professor of environmental health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told ABC News in a statement. "High fever can pose risks to both the mother and the fetus, including neural tube defects and preterm birth."
Kennedy and others in the administration have been determined to find what is behind what they have referred to as an "autism epidemic."
An April report from the CDC found that an estimated one in 31 8-year-olds was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2022. To compare, one in 36 was diagnosed with ASD in 2020, according to the report.
This is also a rise from the one in 150 children diagnosed with autism in 2000, CDC data shows.
Medical experts have told ABC News they believe this increase is largely due to better awareness, better access to screening and services, and broadening the definition of ASD.
Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence at Boston University and a member of the coalition of vaccine scientists, told ABC News that researchers have been studying autism's many causes for decades and that the best work combines genetic, medical and environmental data.
She warned that revealing findings without methods or peer review risks alarming the public and undermining ongoing NIH research efforts.
MORE: RFK Jr. has questioned rising autism rates. Here's what experts say he gets wrong about the disorder
"None of the gold standard parameters include announcing the findings of a study at a press conference, none include conducting this study without disclosing methods or research questions, but instead turning this into a big surprise," she said.
The administration also announced on Monday that it is starting an approval process for a drug called leucovorin, despite limited evidence of benefit.
Leucovorin, which is typically used as part of cancer care, has shown early promise in a handful of small studies suggesting it may help the symptoms of some children with autism.
Typically, more robust studies would be required for a new FDA approval. Doctors say there could be some promise for this drug, but caution that more research is needed to understand how much -- or even whether -- this drug helps certain children.
In the press release, GSK, the maker of the drug, did not mention autism by name but said it is starting a process to expand the approval.
During the press conference on Monday, Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also suggested the childhood vaccine schedule could contribute to autism, contradicting years of research that has found no link between the two.
