Pregnant women should only take Tylenol when told to by a doctor, scientists ruled today, because they fear the cheap painkiller could hamper a baby's development in the womb. Dozens of studies have linked acetaminophen, the drug most commonly-branded as Tylenol, to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, language delay in girls and decreased IQ. Danish researchers reviewing the evidence from more than 2,000 pregnant women and their babies argued there was an 'increasing amount of research' about fears acetaminophen may hamper fetal development. In a call to action they insisted mothers-to-be only get the 'lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time'. However, other scientists today dismissed the claims, saying the collection of papers that were reviewed were 'not robust enough to draw any conclusions'. One claimed raising pregnant mothers' anxiety about the unborn child is 'often itself unnecessary and has obvious adverse consequences'. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says acetaminophen is safe to take in pregnancy but urged pregnant women 'to always discuss all medicines with their health care professionals before using them'. 'It is important to carefully weigh the benefits and risks of using prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicines during pregnancy,' the FDA added. The paper claimed an 'increasing amount of research' was linking acetaminophen - known more commonly as paracetamol in Europe - to some neurodevelopmental, reproductive and urogenital disorders. Pregnant women should only take acetaminophen when told to by a doctor, scientists ruled Thursday, because they fear the cheap painkiller could hamper a baby's development in the womb Experts said an 'increasing amount of research' suggests if acetaminophen is taken during pregnancy, it affects fetal development, which could increase the risk of brain, reproductive and urogenital disorders in the child once it is born. These include increased incidences of ADHD and autism, as well as early puberty Studies in animals have found that acetaminophen may cause reproductive orders for men, such as abnormalities in testicular function and sperm, and women, such as disruption to ovarian development, causing a reduced egg numbers, leading to reduced fertility Around 65 per cent of expectant mothers in the country report taking acetaminophen during pregnancy as it is a common pain reliever and fever reducer. The warning on acetaminophen in pregnancy was published today in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology and was supported by a group of 91 international experts. What does the FDA say on taking acetaminophen when pregnant? Acetaminophen is an active ingredient in hundreds of OTC and prescription medicines, the FDA says. It relieves pain and fever and is combined with other ingredients to treat allergies, cough, cold, flu and insomnia. The FDA said on taking acetaminophen while pregnant: 'We evaluated research studies published in the medical literature and determined they are too limited to make any recommendations based on these studies at this time. 'Because of this uncertainty, the use of pain medicines during pregnancy should be carefully considered. We urge pregnant women to always discuss all medicines with their health care professionals before using them.' However, they did site NSAID painkillers, which also reduce inflammation, as proving to be more harmful during pregnancy. 'If women take the medications around 20 weeks or later in their pregnancy, the drugs can cause rare but serious kidney problems in the unborn baby, which can lead to low levels of amniotic fluid (the protective cushion surrounding the unborn baby) and the potential for pregnancy-related complications,' the FDA said in a Drug Safety Communication. Advertisement Dr David Kristensen and experts at the University of Copenhagen reviewed human and animal studies that examined acetaminophen use in pregnancy. The research projects were all published between 1995 and 2020. In the journal they claimed studies have linked the widespread use of acetaminophen to a 'disturbing rise' in the number of children with cognitive, learning or behavioral disabilities. Research also found that the painkiller is linked with reproductive and urogenital disorders, such as cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) — hypospadias (when the opening of the urethra is not located at the tip of the penis) and testicular cancer. Rates of early puberty, decreased sperm counts, and decreased fertility have also been linked with the painkiller, they said. And being exposed to acetaminophen before birth is also associated with early puberty in girls. Meanwhile studies with animals have found that the drug may also cause reproductive disorders for men, such as abnormalities in testicular function and sperm. Animal studies have also associated acetaminophen in pregnancy with disruption to women's ovarian development, causing reduced egg numbers, leading to reduced fertility. Other affects in women that have been recorded include altered brain function and behavior. And any negative effects from a mother taking acetaminophen in pregnancy increased if the drug was taken in higher doses and for longer periods, the scientists said. Therefore expectant mothers should be told in their pregnancy how to limit its use and dosage, according to the report. The experts said pregnant women should be told to 'forego (acetaminophen) unless its use is medically indicated; consult with a physician or pharmacist if they are uncertain whether use is indicated and before using on a long-term basis; and minimize exposure by using the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time'. But Dr Sarah Yamaguchi, MD, a member of the Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG) said the medicine poses no risks. She told Babylist: 'For aches and pains, Tylenol is really the only safe medication. 'Body aches are more common during later pregnancy and can be treated with massage or Tylenol, if needed. For body aches, the most important thing is to try to prevent them by staying active and eating a healthy, balanced diet when you can.' Medics also called for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and US Food and Drug (FDA) Administration to 'review all available data' so their advice is up-to-date. The FDA and EMA said studies have failed to demonstrate any risks of birth defects from acetaminophen. However, the FDA did warn against OTC nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, which all have anti-inflammatory properties. Dr Sarah Yamaguchi, MD, a member of the Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG) said acetaminophen is safe and told Babylist: 'For aches and pains, Tylenol is really the only safe medication' This time last year the FDA required labeling changes for NSAIDs 'to explain that if women take the medications around 20 weeks or later in their pregnancy, the drugs can cause rare but serious kidney problems in the unborn baby'. The issues could then 'lead to low levels of amniotic fluid (the protective cushion surrounding the unborn baby) and the potential for pregnancy-related complications'. Dr Sarah Stock, a fetal medicine expert at the University of Edinburgh, said: 'This paper doesn't change recommendations on (acetaminophen) use in pregnancy.' She said the team had 'done a good job of bringing together existing evidence'. But Dr Stock added: 'Unfortunately, much of that evidence is not robust enough to draw any conclusions that paracetamol use in pregnancy, especially occasional use, causes developmental problems in humans. '(Acetaminophen) is effective at reducing pain and fever and so continues to be an important medicine that pregnant people should use if needed. 'Of course, pregnant or not, no-one should take a medication unnecessarily, for longer than necessary or at a higher dose than needed.' Professor Stephen Evans, an expert in pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine advised that the 'avoidance of unnecessary drugs is to be encouraged at all times, and most pregnant women are aware of this'. 'At the same time raising anxiety about their unborn child is often itself unnecessary and has obvious adverse consequences. 'This paper and the consensus statement could be used to raise anxiety, almost undoubtedly unnecessarily,' Evans added. Larger studies tend to find 'no adverse effect' on a child from their mothers taking acetaminophen and those that do find some links are inconsistent, so 'their findings may be due to chance or bias,' he said. And there is no 'obvious drug' that could be suggested as an alternative to acetaminophen, so the report is 'not very helpful'. Professor Evans added: 'It might be reasonable to suggest that regulatory authorities re-examine the issues, but it is not a message for current or prospective pregnant mothers.' All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility