ArticlePaediatric and perinatal epidemiology2020
Acetaminophen use in pregnancy: Examining prevalence, timing, and indication of use in a prospective birth cohort.
Article in Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Maternal paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring: umbrella review of systematic reviews.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2025Pooled it
- Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2025Pooled it
- Article
- Prenatal over-the-counter acetaminophen use and birth outcomes in the ECHO Cohort.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Acetaminophen in pregnancy.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026Article
- Acute fatty liver of pregnancy in the context of normal-dose acetaminophen exposure: a case report.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Acetaminophen and pregnancy: common exposure, potential placental impact.Journal of animal science · 2026Review
- Paracetamol exposure during pregnancy, the risk of major congenital malformations, and perinatal and postnatal outcomes: a population-based cohort study.Human reproduction open · 2026Article
- ACMT Position Statement: ACMT Responds to the Acetaminophen and Autism Controversy.Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology · 2026Article
- Developmentally Regulated CYP2E1 Expression Is Associated with a Fetal Pulmonary Transcriptional Response to Maternal Acetaminophen Exposure.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Acetaminophen's Role in Autism and ADHD: A Mitochondrial Perspective.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Mechanisms of altered hepatic drug disposition during pregnancy: small molecules.Expert opinion on drug metabolism & toxicology · 2025Review
- Evaluating the Role of Susceptibility Inducing Cofactors and of Acetaminophen in the Etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability.JAMA · 2024Article
- Acetaminophen for the patent ductus arteriosus: has safety been adequately demonstrated?Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2023Review
- Paracetamol use in pregnancy: Not as safe as we may think?Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2023Article
- Sex-specific neurobehavioral and prefrontal cortex gene expression alterations following developmental acetaminophen exposure in mice.Neurobiology of disease · 2023Article
- Potential adverse actions of prenatal exposure of acetaminophen to offspring.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
- Prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and adolescent assessment of behavior: Discrepancies by age and reporter.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Prenatal acetaminophen use in women with autoimmune disorders and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies of prenatal acetaminophen use have not addressed what indications and maternal co-factors describe acetaminophen use.
objectiveThe objective of this study was to describe these parameters in a well-characterised, prospective birth cohort.
methodsData were drawn from the MotherToBaby study of pregnant women enrolled from 2004 to 2018. Daily acetaminophen diaries were calculated for all exposed women with complete dose and duration information. Descriptive statistics were used to assess maternal characteristics associated with acetaminophen use. Prevalence by 2-year interval was described, and linear regression was used to test for trend. Indication of use and dose per indication were summarised.
resultsOf 2441 subjects, 1515 (62%) reported use of acetaminophen. Over the 15-year period, there was a decline in use of 2.5% for each 2-year period (test for trend = 0.001) with 58% reporting acetaminophen use in 2017-2018. Among women with acetaminophen use in pregnancy (n = 1515), 58% reported <10 days of use, 13% reported 10-19 days of use, 9% reported 20-44 days of use, and 9% reported 45 or more days of use. Twelve per cent had undefined duration of use. Increasing duration of exposure was associated with tobacco use, obesity, self-reported depression or anxiety, and antidepressant use. The most frequently reported indication was headache, however, indication varied by duration of use, with more women reporting use for sleep or pain/injury in the categories with the longest duration of use. Median dose per exposed day was highest among those reporting use for sleep, and higher doses were more frequently reported for arthritis, injury, and pain.
conclusionAcetaminophen is used by the majority of pregnant women, and some continue to use for many weeks in pregnancy. Given the heterogeneity in duration of use, indication, and dose, studies that estimate the risk of adverse outcomes associated with acetaminophen must carefully consider these factors.
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