The 'Tylenol in Pregnancy' Fear Mongering is Here Because of Course it Is

In my ten years as a health journalist, I've seen several whispers about the "dangers" of taking Tylenol during pregnancy. And every time someone (or some study) attempts to connect it to some adverse outcome, experts I've interviewed have assured me that Tylenol is clinicians' over-the-counter pain reliever of choice for pregnant people. 

But recently, those whispers turned into shouts. And while experts and expert groups counter these claims, we have the *literal* POTUS platforming the idea that Tylenol use in pregnancy is linked to autism. The messaging? "Fight like hell not to take it.”

Listen, I'm not a doctor. I'm not here to comment on the medical facts here. But I do feel qualified based on a decade of work interviewing experts and looking at data to say that there’s a clear mismatch between the evidence and the experts’ opinions  and this messaging…and also, that this isn’t just a case of medical misinformation, but also cultural normalization of women’s pain.

The narrative that women should “tough it out” and push through their pain is…well, nothing new. It’s really not surprising, in light of all that, that they’re coming for the one over-the-counter pain reliever women can reach for when they need it during that 40-week period of life when their bodies are pushed to their limits. 

We’ve normalized women’s suffering, especially when that suffering happens to occur during pregnancy — a time when your body stops being viewed as a vessel for the male gaze and starts being viewed as a vessel for baby-making. But we’ve got to push back.. Because in a country that underfunds women’s health research, one thing is clear: Based on what expert groups are saying, the “Tylenol and autism” thing isn’t worth our energy.

Fighting for change that will help minimize our suffering instead of glorifying it, though? That is.