Should pregnant women avoid paracetamol?

A new consensus statement calls for greater awareness of the potential for the agent to affect fetal development
Pregnant woman with pills

Growing evidence links the use of paracetamol in pregnancy with effects on the fetus, underlining the need for caution in use of the analgesic and antipyretic as well as more research, an international consensus statement says.

The statement calls for all paracetamol-containing medications to include warnings about the potential risks of prenatal exposure to the drug and for them to be sold only in pharmacies.