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President Donald Trump recently urged pregnant women to refrain from using Tylenol because the drug may cause autism in their child – a link that is not supported by science. This provoked a swift and vigorous response from research and medical communities across the U.S. Many doctors fear that expecting parents will heed his advice and avoid taking acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, to lower a fever during pregnancy – putting both the mother and fetus in grave danger.
Tami S. Rowen, an OB-GYN with nearly two decades of experience caring for pregnant patients, vividly recalls her own scary experience with a potentially serious infection during labor. She walks readers through the numerous ways that fever during pregnancy and delivery can be harmful and the ample evidence for the safe use of acetaminophen as a first-line treatment.
“The ability to guide people in pregnancy, childbirth and beyond is, for me, the most intimate and fulfilling part of medicine,” Rowan writes. “The anxiety and fear that people bring to my office and to the delivery room about the many uncertainties associated with pregnancy and childbirth is palpable and legitimate.”
At the center of Trump’s comment is growing attention on autism. In the latest episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, Andrew Whitehouse, a professor of autism research, explains the changing nature of how autism is diagnosed and what that means for people who are autistic.
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