What Do Data and Science Tell Us About Advising Women on Tylenol and Pregnancy?

In this episode of A Moment in Health, Dr. Ashish Jha highlights that about two-thirds of pregnant women report taking Tylenol during pregnancy, reviewing a large 2024 JAMA study from Sweden which found no meaningful association between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability. Dr. Elizabeth Langen, professor of obstetrics at the University of Michigan, joins to share a practical framework for advising patients in pregnancy: weighing the risks of uncontrolled disease against the potential risks of medication and emphasizing the need for stronger, prospective research before considering changes to clinical guidance.Dr. Jha discusses:Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability — JAMAAbout the GuestDr. Elizabeth Langen is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan. She is the Obstetrics Director of the Cardio-Obstetrics Program and Director for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Michigan. Dr. Langen specializes in cardiovascular disease in women, cardio-obstetrics, maternal congenital heart conditions and pregnancy, premature onset of labor, premature rupture of membranes, cervical shortening, and high risk pregnancies.About the HostDr. Ashish K. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.Music by Katherine Beggs, additional music by Lulu West and Maya Polsky