Donald Trump has doubled down on his advice to expectant mothers not to take Tylenol.

In a Truth Social post, the president said: ‘Pregnant women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

‘DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON.’

Some studies have shown an association between taking acetaminophen, the active drug in Tylenol, during pregnancy and autism in children.

Experts emphasize that while there is an association, it does not directly prove that acetaminophen causes autism. They point to other large-scale research that has found no link between taking Tylenol during pregnancy and autism.

President Trump also offered other medical advice in his statement, recommending: ‘BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!), TAKE CHICKEN P SHOT SEPARATELY, TAKE HEPATITAS [sic] B SHOT AT 12 YEARS OLD, OR OLDER, AND, IMPORTANTLY, TAKE VACCINE IN FIVE SEPARATE MEDICAL VISITS! President DJT.’

This statement follows a press conference on Monday where the president initially advised pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, or acetaminophen, during pregnancy.

Throughout the week, officials from the administration, including the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Vice President JD Vance, gave more measured statements, encouraging pregnant women to consult their doctor before taking Tylenol.

Donald Trump is pictured at the press conference on Monday, where he told pregnant women not to take Tylenol, or acetaminophen

During a press conference on Monday, President Trump told pregnant women, ‘don’t take Tylenol’, before adding, ‘fight like hell not to take it’. 

The president and his health officials frequently cited a new study as the reason for their warnings.

Research from Mount Sinai and Harvard analyzed data from 46 previous studies and observed an association between taking acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased rates of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism in children.

However, there are also several studies showing no link, such as a 2024 study by Swedish researchers involving 2.4 million children that found no connection between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and a higher risk of autism.

Acetaminophen is used during pregnancy to bring down high fevers or reduce pain, which may also pose a risk, with studies showing expectant mothers struggling with high fevers are more likely to have babies with birth defects. 

Dr Jeff Singer, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute in the Department of Health Policy Studies, told Daily Mail: ‘This is an issue, and it is being looked at by academic and clinical researchers around the world. It is not an unreasonable question to ask, “Does acetaminophen cause autism?”.

‘But what I am asking is that they leave the question to the scientists, to the clinical researchers, and stay out of it. We are on it, and we are already taking care of it.’

On Tuesday, Dr Oz, who was also at the press conference on Monday, said in an interview with TMZ that pregnant women should take Tylenol if they have a high fever.  

‘If you have a high fever… you ought to be talking to a doctor anyway,’ he said.

‘The doctor’s almost certainly going to prescribe you something. Tylenol might be one of the things they give.’

In an interview with CBS News on Thursday, Dr Oz said, ‘categorically, no’, when asked whether pregnant women should never take Tylenol under any circumstances.

He added: ‘The concern here is that I believe most women get low-grade fevers, they stub their toe, they have little aches and pains, and they think it’s perfectly safe to throw a couple paracetamol or acetaminophen or Tylenol when they’re pregnant, and I don’t think that’s the case.’

Vance said in an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday: ‘So, my guidance to pregnant women would be very simple, which is: Follow your doctor.

He added that ‘ultimately, whether you should take something is very context-specific’ and should be considered ‘case by case’.

A spokeswoman for Kenvue, which manufactures Tylenol, said: ‘Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy.

‘The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism. 

Dr Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is pictured above at the press conference on Monday

‘We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree.’

About one in 2,000 children were diagnosed with autism in the 1980s in the US, estimates suggest, but today the rate is one in 31.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person communicates, interacts with others, and experiences the world.

In the 1970s, it was strictly defined, with the only people diagnosed with the condition being those who had severe communication difficulties, often struggling to speak or interact with others.

But experts say that over recent decades, the definition of the condition has been massively expanded to include milder symptoms, while Americans have also become more accepting of people with autism.

At the press conference on Monday, President Trump also urged parents to get the measles, mumps and rubella jabs, normally delivered as a three-in-one vaccine, separately, and told parents to get the varicella, or chickenpox vaccine, separately, which can be given with the MMR shot.

He also urged parents not to get their children the Hepatitis B vaccine until they are 12 years old.