The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, points to methodological inadequacies in previous reviews and studies. It offers reassurance for pregnant women, public health agencies, and health care providers in alignment with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC).

Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is the most commonly used over-the-counter pain reliever during pregnancy, taken in an estimated 70% of all pregnancies. In 2021, a commentary about a possible increased risk of NDDs in children exposed to acetaminophen in utero was published, leading to substantial concerns in the general population and among prescribers.

However, this publication—as well as a subsequent narrative review by the same group of researchers—was met with criticism of its methodology, choice and quality of studies considered, and lack of mechanistic data.