Is acetaminophen safe to use during pregnancy? The debate rages.
Now, researchers at Northeastern University are contributing to the discussion, finding a relationship between increased acetaminophen use during pregnancy and language delays in early childhood.
“We saw that with individuals who took more acetaminophen during pregnancy, their children tended to have more delayed language development in early childhood, particularly in male children, and especially true with acetaminophen use in the third trimester,” says Megan Woodbury, a postdoctoral research associate at Northeastern.
Woodbury cautions, however, that the researchers were unable to determine that acetaminophen use was directly causing the delayed language development.
“We’re not entirely sure it’s acetaminophen driving this effect,” Woodbury says. “Is it truly due to acetaminophen use, or is it something to do with experiencing fever during pregnancy or illness during pregnancy, or other variables?”
