During his news conference on Monday, President Trump warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol—and he repeated the warning 10 times by the count of the Washington Post. "Don't take Tylenol, don't take it," Trump said. "Fight like hell not to take it." The president seemed to acknowledge that many in the medical community disagree with the suggestion about a potential link to autism, per the AP. "This is based on what I feel," he said, per the Hill, noting that there was "no downside" to following his advice, except that perhaps "a mother will have to, as I say, tough it out a little bit." However, that's one of the specific points from the news conference being called into question.
In general, doctors already advise pregnant women to use Tylenol sparingly, but not in the case of high fevers in the first trimester, which can increase the risk of miscarriage and other problems, according to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. "If you don't take Tylenol when you have a fever, especially in the first trimester, we know that is detrimental to the fetus," says Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman of UC San Diego Health Sciences, per the Post.
- Overload? The New York Times offers a fact check on other Trump statements, including his assertion that the childhood immunization schedule "loads up" kids with too many shots, around 80 by Trump's count. In reality, the number is closer to 30 before the age of 18, and there's no evidence that the vaccines overwhelm immune systems.
- Hepatitis B: Trump also said the shot for hepatitis B should be delayed until age 12 because it's sexually transmitted, but the Times points out "it can also spread through drops of blood on surfaces or skin, and it is highly transmissible during delivery, so doctors recommended the vaccine at birth."
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