Acetaminophen in pregnancy may cause language delays

According to new study, children whose mothers used acetaminophen-known as Tylenol early in pregnancy may have an increased risk of language delays. Researchers found that when pregnant women used the painkiller during the first trimester, their daughters were more likely to have language delays, such link was not  seen among boys.

A "language delay" meant the child was using fewer than 50 words, according to the report. This medication should probably be used only with caution, and limited to absolute need," said Christina Chambers, a pediatrics professor at the University of California, San Diego. Chambers, who also co-directs the university's Center for Better Beginnings.

Doctors consider its pain and fever reliever of choice during pregnancy. That's because nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-including aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen haverisks, particularly later in pregnancy, according to the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists. The group tracks research on medication and other exposures during pregnancy.

There is no good alternative to acetaminophen, evidence is growing that there can be risks from taking the drug during pregnancy, especially more than occasionally. One recent study found that when women used acetaminophen for more than a month during pregnancy, their children had a higher risk of being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD.

It's not clear that the drug causes developmental problems, but researchers have speculated that it might interfere with hormones that are important in fetal brain development. Acetaminophen is hormonally active, any hormonal effects might affect girls and boys differently. The findings are based on Swedish women who enrolled in a long-term health study during their first trimester. Overall, 59 percent said they'd taken acetaminophen since becoming pregnant.

Their children had their language development assessed at 30 months of age. Roughly 4 percent of girls and 13 percent of boys were found to have a delay. Among girls, the study found, the risk of language delay rose in accordance with mothers' prenatal acetaminophen use. If a pregnant woman had taken more than six tablets in the first trimester, her daughter's risk of language delay was about six times higher, versus girls whose mothers did not use the drug.
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