- Acetaminophen
use in the second and third trimester of pregnancy can lead to language
delays among children, according to a new study.
- Some previous studies have also linked the use of
acetaminophen, sold under the brand name Tylenol, to language delays and
behavioral difficulties.
- Experts say, however, that more research is
needed to establish a cause-and-effect link between the drug’s uses and
any adverse developmental outcomes.
It’s estimated that up
to two-thirds of pregnant people reach for a bottle of acetaminophen (sold
under the brand name Tylenol) when they are in pain.
The drug is generally
thought of as the safest painkiller for those who are expecting a child.
However, a new study published
in the journal Pediatric Research suggests that frequent acetaminophen use could
lead to language delays among young children.
Researchers from the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looked at a cohort of 532 newborns.
They collected language data at 2 years of age for 298 of them and 3 years of
age for 254 of them.
During pregnancy,
mothers were quizzed every 4 to 6 weeks about their acetaminophen use and again
24 hours after giving birth.
Based on these
evaluations, the researchers reported that acetaminophen in the second and
third trimesters was linked to meaningful delays in early language development
according to a university press release.
Furthermore, each additional use of acetaminophen in the third trimester
appeared to correlate with two fewer words in a 2-year-old’s vocabulary.
“This suggests that if a
pregnant person took acetaminophen 13 times – or once per week – during the
third trimester of that pregnancy, their child might express 26 fewer words at
age 2 than other children that age,” Megan Woodbury, PhD, a graduate research assistant at the university
and a lead study author, said in the press release.
Acetaminophen use in the
third trimester specifically appeared to have the biggest impact on language
development among kids at age 3, the researchers also reported.
The impact
of Tylenol during pregnancy
The study was part of
the Illinois Kids Development Study.
The impact of
acetaminophen use in the second and third trimesters is particularly
significant as other painkillers such as ibuprofen and other
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not recommended for use beyond the first trimester due to the risk of complications and adverse
effects on fetal development.
The second and third
trimester is also when the fetal brain is doing the bulk of its development.
“These findings are very
concerning because acetaminophen was the only ‘safe’ medication to use for
fever during pregnancy,” said Dr. Gina Posner,
a pediatrician at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in California who
was not involved in study.
“Anything that can cross
into the fetus that a mom takes can cause problems. This just shows that even
things we considered benign can also be problematic,” she told Medical News Today.
This study is not the
first to associate acetaminophen to language delays.
Fro example, a pair of
past studies linked the drug’s use during pregnancy to language delays as
well as increased risks of
attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Acetaminophen research still far
from conclusive
Experts agreed that this
new study was well designed and well executed, but they cautioned against
drawing firm conclusions about the relative safety of acetaminophen for
pregnant women at this early stage.
“It’s important to be
cautious in interpreting the results of a single study,” said Dr. Daniel Ganjian, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health
Center in Santa Monica, California who was not involved in the study.
“While this research
raises interesting questions, more investigation is needed before drawing
definitive conclusions. More research is needed to confirm the findings,” he
told Medical News Today.
Dr. Carl Baum, a professor of pediatrics at the Yale School of
Medicine in Connecticut who was not involved in the study, agreed.
“The overarching
question is this: did the study reveal a causal relationship between
acetaminophen and language development? Or did it reveal a temporal association
between the two, i.e., is acetaminophen just a proxy for something else going
on at about the same time?” he told Medical
News Today. “I would argue that in
the absence of a plausible mechanism for acetaminophen causing problems with
language development, it is more likely that infection or inflammation —
entities for which acetaminophen is often administered, as the authors
themselves point out — could better explain changes in the vulnerable prenatal
brain that, in turn, could lead to language problems.”
In other words, the jury
is still out. Instead, Posner said, pregnant people should approach even “safe”
medications in moderation, only taking them when they feel they are necessary.
And when in doubt, talk
to your doctor.
“Pregnant people should
always discuss any medication use with their healthcare providers,” Ganjian
added. “These findings add to the ongoing research on acetaminophen and fetal
development, but they shouldn’t change current recommendations to avoid
unnecessary medications during pregnancy.”
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