MA DPH Declares Tylenol Safe For Pregnant Women, Slams 'Harmful Disinformation'

MASSACHUSETTS — Declaring Tylenol to be "one of the safest and most commonly used medicines to relieve pain and reduce fever in pregnancy," the Massachusetts Department of Public Health once again clashed with President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday in calling recent claims to the contrary "harmful disinformation."

Mass DPH Commissioner of Public Health Robbie Goldstein and Chief Medical Officer Jessica Zeidman released the joint statement three days after President Trump encouraged expecting mothers not to take Tylenol because of his personal, "common sense" view that it may contribute to autism.

"Don’t take Tylenol, don't take it," Trump said. "Fight like hell not to take it."

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Experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have long recommended acetaminophen as a safe option during pregnancy.

On Friday, the state health officials said treating symptoms of pain and fever during pregnancy was important because leaving the symptoms untreated can be "far more dangerous to a developing fetus than taking acetaminophen as directed."

"The overwhelming body of scientific research has not shown that using acetaminophen during pregnancy causes autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions in children," the Mass DPH statement said. "Claims to the contrary are simply not supported by high-quality evidence.

"Acetaminophen remains a safe and important option for managing headaches, muscle aches, or fever during pregnancy."

The statement then appeared to take aim at President Trump and U.S. Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for making claims to the contrary this week.

"Public health statements with the power and reach to influence millions of families must be anchored in solid evidence and guided by medical specialists who understand the science — not by speculation or opinions from those without the training and knowledge to accurately assess the full scope of research and the associated clinical nuances," the statement said. "The Massachusetts Department of Public Health will continue to push back on harmful misinformation and disinformation related to the health and safety of those in our Commonwealth.

"And we will continue to monitor emerging research and rely on expert opinion to update our guidance as new high-quality evidence and data become available."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)