Use of paracetamol in pregnancy and autism: Trump

[MidnightPatrol]

Trump is expected to announce later today that there is a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy, and autism.

As with his approach to covid, scientists have reacted with dismay at this development - a major Swedish study published in 2024 looked at 2.48m births and found no link.

A bit of a worrying development in terms of medical misinformation, pregnant women’s access to pain relief, and those with autism (and their parents).

he just wants women to suffer and be in pain. To keep them down and in their place.

Yes this. They actually hate women and just see them as vessels !

This is why I held my breath through the whole 9 months in one of my pregnancies and that child isn’t autistic. You must be right…. 👀

Is this a serious comment?

Trying to figure out what might be contributing? Ok great, what research is being funded? Not much, since RFK Jr has cut tens of millions of funding from autism research.

Ok, maybe I’m being unfair, maybe they don’t need more funding because he’s solved it already - it’s paracetamol! He’s done. No need for anymore funding.

It’s absolutely ridiculous to think that him saying the absurdly simplistic statement that “paracetamol in pregnancy causes autism” is even remotely a genuine attempt to look into the causes of autism.

I will say anecdotally my experience of ND people is that I've never met one without a very high pain threshold, could be due to always being in pain I suppose, if you exist at a pain of 4 going up to 6 isn't bad, if you're always at a 0 a 6 must be awful.

I've thought this.

I also think people/hcp adjust what ever level you say to their prejucides/expectations of your pain levels.

I had terrible peirods pre kids - and I knew they weren't right but every GP fobbed me off and said I just had a low pain threshold - few of last one suggesting I'd struggle during labour.

My pregnacies were about only time never took pain killers as period pain wasn't there gave birth to large babies with no pain relief bar gas and air with first - other two nothing. Didn't realised I was in labour till I was 10 cm and pain did start to feel worse than monthly periods - so call MW who came out and was surpised. Second pg HB MW refused to belive I was in active labour as I was so stoic - she left then had to rush back.

I had family member with broken bones or other problems being told if it was what they though they'd be in agony - and family members saying well I am - only to get dismissed then turn out it was the conditon but how they were showing pain ( and family full of ND) wasn't as expected.

Let me guess, they'll now massively cut down access to autism assessments so they can say 2 or 3 years down the line they've got rid of autism.

Knowing that people who believe this guff won't know or care that diagnosis generally happens after 4 years of age.

The woman that was dead and still had a full term pregnancy was something straight out of a horror film.

We have the medical records of members of DHs family who were admitted to the Bethlam (Bedlam) back in the 1800s. It's very sad reading. They were clearly autistic but words like stupid, invalid, beyond hope of any meaningful life were used to describe them. They were caged, like hamsters.
There is clearly a genetic link.
DH has ASD (along with a degree, 2 masters and a PhD), autism doesn't define who he is. It also doesn't define the lives of our DC, some of whom also have ASD.
At least Trump isn't advocating we drink bleach, like he did in COVID, but I don't like his spotlight landing on ASD for too long. I fear a witch hunt rather than any real focus on how to improve the life experience of ASD Americans.

My child is autistic because I am autistic. We are quite happy with our wonderful brains.

Utter bollocks. I wouldn't take paracetamol in pregnancy I was too anxious about taking any medication in pregnancy and didn't take it once. My daughter is autistic with a high level of needs.

Yes. Thats exactly what i was saying. The paracetamol is correlating to issues, because it treats the fever that is causing the issues.it would be worse without the paracetamol

I have an autistic child and took a lot of paracetamol.

It is so freaking obvious that I’m autistic myself. I self diagnose at a level 1 to 2.

Autism is genetic.

Trump is an absolute idiot.

Do you use paracetamol regularly? We don't even have any in our home. I must have taken maybe 2 or 3 paracetamol in my 40 plus years of life (and I'm autistic).

And he got his medical degree where? At the Fisher Price School of Being The Best Doctor? I reckon that Fisher Price is probably a little advanced for his intellect.
The man is a blithering idiot. Dangerous idiot, but still an idiot.

You can tell Trump hasn't the faintest what autism actually is. I'd love to see a journalist ask him 'So what is autism, Mr President' and watch him stumble incoherently about 'It's bad, it's very bad. The people who have it, they can't do anything, it's ruining their lives. It's a bad, bad thing'

Yes was going to say this

It’s a neat way to blame just the female uterus and woman’s actions and absolve any male genetic link because it could never be a man’s fault nothing ever is.

They aren’t even trying to hide their true agenda anymore, they don’t have to.

I have an autistic ds. When he was diagnosed I consented to participate in research, and gave information on various aspects of pregnancy, birth and early development.

One of the questions was whether I had taken paracetamol during pregnancy. I had so I ticked yes. It didn’t ask me how often (once), how much (half a tablet) or when (a week before birth).

I was highly health anxious in pregnancy, and only took that paracetamol at my midwife’s insistence that pain and stress were more likely to impact the baby.

If I were to hazard a guess about the causes of ds’ autism I’d be more suspicious of my anxiety levels. But I’m not looking for a cause.
DS is the very reincarnation of his gf. They even smell alike. Same sense of humour, same drive towards integrity and justice, same brilliant, insightful minds. He has his genes.

God, I hate Trump.

How to stigmatise women into making people think mothers caused their child’s autism.

Yes, I'm feeling sad and angry for the doubtless many women now thinking their child's autism must be 'my fault'.

I wonder what Mrs Trump took when she was pregnant with Baby Donald? I would avoid that....

Correlation doesn’t equal causation - but I think there is some merit in what you’re saying.

I didn’t have any fevers during pregnancy. I do however have a severe (rare) migraine disorder.

My migraines were so severe they lit up a brain scan and specialists thought I had an auto immune disease attacking my brain.

My mother also had severe migraines and I believe she was autistic. This is based on me being able to recall her behaviour all the way back to my infancy and from stories I was told about her as a child.

I wouldn’t discount a link. Interestingly when my child was severely ill as a toddler (and completely non verbal) he randomly started talking. His first words weren’t mama or dada but an entire question perfectly spoken after waking up after his illness. Many other mothers of autistic children have reported something similar - when their children become extremely ill their brain switches on and non-verbal children will start talking as if there is nothing wrong with them. Interestingly, during this period of time is when parents give their toddlers pain medication- including paracetamol.

I like that Trump is giving this some attention.

I was told by more than one nhs consultant that the steroid injections I needed carried risks for future adhd and ASD in my children and how they changed the guidance to only give for 34w and under as opposed to 36w.

In regards to paracetamol I’m unconvinced until they produce their evidence, I’ll keep an open mind as obviously some medication does cause harm in pregnancy but unless they have compelling evidence, research studies and can prove the mechanisms of action that causes ASD I’m sceptical .

I really feel for mum's of ND children.
I'm sure that many have wrangled with all sorts of thoughts as to how their actions may be to blame. I really hope that we had shrugged off the refrigerator mother theory along with the MMR. Despicable man.
Sending warmest of wishes to all mum's of ND children.

One thing I considered was if this is true might this explain why parents often link vaccines with ASD symptoms? Because they’ve administered paracetamol and it somehow affects a child’s brain if they’ve been exposed to it when in utero ?

This is how I feel too, absolutely agree. Just expect the mum to suffer through it without an alternative.
Do they give mums leave or carers support for pain episodes instead?!