Acetaminophen during pregnancy may be linked to attention and sleep problems in young children: New study
Fox News
The lead author of a study published in PLOS Medicine said acetaminophen use by women in pregnancy increased the risk for attention and sleep problems among their young children by over 20%.
For this study, the researchers studied 2,423 mother-child pairs, in which women completed a "prenatal stress inventory." Health care professionals should balance the benefits with the risks in recommending acetaminophen during pregnancy, the authors of a new study suggested. The study only assessed the child’s behavior via the mother's observations and impressions — not via a trained psychologist.
"Acetaminophen is commonly used during pregnancy to treat a variety of ailments, but evidence is emerging that shows acetaminophen may be associated with developmental concerns among children," said lead author Kristin Sznajder, assistant professor of public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine.
"Our research found that acetaminophen use during pregnancy increased the risk for attention and sleep problems among young children by more than 20%," she told Fox News Digital.