For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feltman.
The President of the United States recently claimed that the use of acetaminophen,
commonly known by the brand name Tylenol,
during pregnancy and early childhood could be linked to autism in kids.
But these claims aren't supported by the scientific evidence,
and they highlight a much bigger problem.
We know shockingly little about medication safety during pregnancy.
For decades, pregnant people have been excluded from most clinical trials,
leaving doctors and patients to make decisions with incomplete information.
As many as 80 to 90% of people take prescription medication during pregnancy,
yet fewer than 1% of clinical trials include them, according to a recent study.
The result is a healthcare system that protects pregnant people from research rather than through it.
Here to explain why we lack this crucial data and what needs to change is Tanya Lewis,
Senior Health Desk Editor at Scientific American.
Tanya, thanks so much for coming on to chat with us.
Yeah, thanks so much for having me.
So pregnancy and medication has been in the news a lot.
lately, you know,
primarily because of the alleged connection between acetaminophen and autism in kids.
Before we get into all of the stuff you unpacked in your recent piece,