Donald Trump has urged pregnant women not to take acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol or paracetamol. Does paracetamol cause autism? But this does not prove that the link is causal and agencies such as the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have stated there is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children. “When Trump suggests that there’s no downside to not taking paracetamol during pregnancy, that’s not true,” said Gardner. If doctors or pregnant women avoid the painkiller, it could lead to more post-traumatic stress disorder and to more women seeking caesarean sections.