Girls born to 754 Swedish mothers that used acetaminophen during pregnancy showed less ability in acquiring early language skills at 30 months of age, report Mount Sinai Health System study researchers. If the mothers took acetaminophen more than six times in early pregnancy, their daughters (but not their sons) were nearly six times more likely to have language delays than girls born to mothers that didn’t take the drug. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 65 percent of pregnant women in this country use acetaminophen, which is marketed for pain and fever relief in Tylenol and Excedrin, and included in many over-the-counter formulations such as NyQuil and Robitussin.

This article appears in the May 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.