24 September 2025
Rheumatology teams should follow advice from UK regulators and continue to advise pregnant women to take paracetamol as their first choice of pain relief where appropriate.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has released a statement confirming the safety of paracetamol use in pregnancy, clarifying there is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children.
Dr Allison Cave, Chief Safety Officer at the MHRA, said:
“Patient safety is our top priority. There is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children.
Paracetamol remains the recommended pain relief option for pregnant women when used as directed. Pregnant women should continue to follow existing NHS guidance and speak to their healthcare professional if they have questions about any medication during pregnancy. Untreated pain and fever can pose risks to the unborn baby, so it is important to manage these symptoms with the recommended treatment.
Our advice on medicines in pregnancy is based on rigorous assessment of the best available scientific evidence. Any new evidence that could affect our recommendations would be carefully evaluated by our independent scientific experts.”
You can read our guideline on Prescribing drugs in pregnancy and breastfeeding: comorbidity medications used in rheumatology practice for more information about the safety of paracetamol.