After U.S. President Donald Trump's administration suggested a possible link between acetaminophen and autism in September 2025, social media users shared a purported 2017 tweet from Tylenol in which the brand supposedly said it does not recommend using any of its products during pregnancy.
The purported post from Tylenol read: "We actually don't recommend using any of our products while pregnant. Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns today." The Department of Health and Human Services shared (archived) a screenshot of the alleged post on its official X account, writing, "No caption needed."
(@HHSGov on X)
The claim circulated elsewhere on X and Facebook (archived here, here and here), with social media users suggesting the post's existence proved that the company has long acknowledged that Tylenol isn't safe to use during pregnancy — a claim medical experts have refuted. Multiple Snopes readers also searched our website looking for information on whether the post was authentic.
Tylenol did share a post in March 2017 that read, in part, "We actually don't recommend using any of our products while pregnant." Therefore, we've rated this claim true.
However, Tylenol maker Kenvue, a spinoff of Johnson & Johnson, provided additional context to Snopes via email. The company said, in part, that it does not "make recommendations on taking any medications in pregnancy because that is the job of a healthcare provider." It also described the "consumer response" featured in the post as "incomplete," saying it "did not address our full guidance on the safe use of Tylenol, which has not changed."
Tylenol's account on X, then known as Twitter, made the post (archived) in question on March 7, 2017. The text appeared the same way it did in screenshots circulating on social media: "We actually don't recommend using any of our products while pregnant. Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns today."
(@tylenol on X)
It appeared Tylenol was replying to someone's post that had been deleted as of this writing. Snopes was unable to verify what the since-deleted post said.
At the time of publication, it appeared Tylenol had not updated its X feed since June 2021.
In a statement provided to Snopes via email, Kenvue emphasized that it doesn't make recommendations on taking any medications during pregnancy, saying that is the role of a health care provider. The company also reiterated that acetaminophen remains the "safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy."
Kenvue's full statement is as follows:
We do not make recommendations on taking any medications in pregnancy because that is the job of a healthcare provider.
This eight-year-old consumer response is incomplete and did not address our full guidance on the safe use of Tylenol which has not changed:
- Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy.
- Our products are safe and effective when used as directed on the product label.
- We recommend pregnant women do not take any over-the-counter medication, including acetaminophen, without talking to their doctor first.
Multiple medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have also reiterated that Tylenol remains safe to use during pregnancy when it is taken as directed. Experts also noted that an untreated fever, particularly early in pregnancy, can increase the risk of certain complications for both the parent and fetus.
Additionally, no study has proven that Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism. While some studies have found an association between Tylenol use during pregnancy and increased autism risk, others have not. Nonetheless, studies that show a link do not prove causation. You can read our full report about the research on prenatal acetaminophen exposure and autism risk here.