(Christine Birak, Marcy Cuttler, Lauren Pelley/ CBC News) — People who are pregnant should be cautious about taking acetaminophen as it may alter fetal development, according to a coalition of international public health experts.
In a consensus statement published on Thursday in the scientific journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology, the group stresses that while acetaminophen is common — it’s found in hundreds of pain-relief medications, including Tylenol, Midol, Nyquil and some Benadryl products — there’s growing evidence it comes with risks when used during pregnancy.
There is increasing “experimental and epidemiological research” which suggests that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen might alter fetal development, reads the statement.
The experts, from a range of countries including the U.S., Sweden, Denmark, Brazil and Scotland, recommend that pregnant women should be cautioned at the start of their pregnancy to forgo taking acetaminophen unless its use is medically indicated. (…)