Published: December 12, 2025
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
During pregnancy, there are many guidelines for patients to follow, ranging from what to eat, what not to eat, how to exercise and what medications are safe to take. One of the medications that long has been deemed safe to take during pregnancy is acetaminophen.
“The very first thing and most important thing to emphasize is that there’s no need for patients or even recently pregnant patients to be concerned about mixed messages in the news and have concern that they may have caused harm to their child by taking acetaminophen,” said Kristine Y. Lain, M.D., a maternal-fetal medicine specialist with Norton Children’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agrees that proper use of acetaminophen is not a cause of fetal development issues.
“Every pregnancy is different, and any medication taken during pregnancy should be discussed with the patient’s provider,” Dr. Lain said. “We recommend that the medications be taken only when medically necessary and taken at the lowest needed dose for the shortest needed duration of time.”
Acetaminophen, known often by its brand name Tylenol, long has been the only pain reliever considered safe during pregnancy. In addition to relieving pain, it is also helpful at reducing fever.
“Acetaminophen was and still remains the safest over-the-counter pain reliever that is available to patients in this country,” Dr. Lain said. “The last thing I want is for pregnant patients to be concerned and start taking other over-the-counter pain relievers during their pregnancy that could actually be more harmful than acetaminophen.”
The bottom line: There is no clear evidence that acetaminophen causes harm to a developing fetus. If you are pregnant, talk to your provider about any medications, whether they are available over the counter or by prescription.