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Fevers during pregnancy can be dangerous, and acetaminophen is the go-to treatment for them. Doctors worry what will happen if women are afraid to take it.
By Maggie Astor
In attacking the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy on Monday, President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited unproven claims that the drug is linked to autism, while glossing over well-documented risks posed by fevers, which pregnant women often use acetaminophen to treat.
Mr. Trump said that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, might be justified if a pregnant woman had a severe fever. But he suggested that the bar should be extremely high, and at several other points declared, “Don’t take Tylenol,” with no qualification. “Fight like hell not to take it,” he said, warning that if someone did take it, “That, you’ll have to work out with yourself.” Repeatedly, he insisted there was “no downside” to avoiding it.
