Paracetamol in pregnancy – is it safe?

5 Things to know about paracetamol and pregnancy:

1. Paracetamol is the commonest pain and fever medication taken during pregnancy
2. It has been taken by millions of pregnant women across the world.
3. Compared to other medications, it is the safest and most effective option in pregnancy
4. The best and most recent study so far showed that there was unlikely to be any clinically increased risk of autism if mothers had taken paracetamol during pregnancy
5. Any association is more likely to be due the reason that the paracetamol was taken, rather than the drug itself.

Is paracetamol safe to take during pregnancy?

There has been a lot in the news recently about paracetamol, and that it might be associated with autism.

The information we have at the moment is that paracetamol is safe to take in pregnancy. Paracetamol has been taken by millions of pregnant women, and is the main pain relief tablet used in pregnancy across the world. It is probably the safest medication to take for pain and fever during pregnancy.

There have been a few studies that have suggested that there may be an increased risk of autism in children in mothers took paracetamol in pregnancy. The best and most recent study, which looked at all the data together and tried to account for all the potential biases within the research concluded that there was unlikely to be any clinically important increase in risk of autism if paracetamol is taken in pregnancy. 

I think this is very reassuring. 

It is more likely the REASON that women need to take the paracetamol that is associated with autism than the paracetamol itself.  

It is important to remember that a fever or pain in pregnancy need to be treated. It is well established, for example, that fever is known to be associated with complications in the baby and needs treatment to bring the mother’s temperature down. Paracetamol is the safest way to do this, as the alternative medications are known to have more risks of problems for the baby. For example, the other effective medication for pain and fever is Ibuprofen. This is not recommended in pregnancy as it is known they can stop the baby’s kidneys working properly. It is therefore recommended that this type of medication is avoided for most of the pregnancy.

On balance, the risks and benefits are definitely in favour of taking paracetamol if you have pain or fever that need taking during pregnancy. I am obviously too old to have more babies now but I would take it if I needed it and I was pregnant.