A group of 13 scientists from the U.S., the U.K., Scotland, Israel, Europe, Canada, Brazil, and Australia has penned a consensus statement regarding the use of paracetamol/acetaminophen (APAP) by pregnant women. In their paper, published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology, the group suggests that pregnant women only take paracetamol/acetaminophen if it is medically necessary. Nature has also published an Editorial in the same journal issue noting that the statement’s authors are not calling for a ban on the drug being used, but are suggesting it be taken more cautiously by pregnant women because of a possible risk of birth defects, Medical Xpress reports. In their paper, the authors note that research over the past several years has shown that it is possible under some circumstances for APAP to alter fetal development which in some cases can lead to problems with neurological, urological, and reproductive disorders in the baby. They looked at 29 studies and found evidence of birth defects in 26 of them.
