() Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said pregnant women should avoid unnecessary Tylenol use after reviewing studies suggesting a possible link to autism, though he said the medication is fine for serious symptoms.

During a Thursday interview on ’s “CUOMO,” Oz said the administration reviewed 46 studies that raised concerns about acetaminophen use during pregnancy, prompting officials to share “early signals” with the public despite incomplete research.

“If a woman’s got a high fever, if she’s got bad aches and pains, it makes sense to take a medication like Tylenol,” Oz said. “But if she’s got mild aches or pains, if she’s got a mild fever, she should not happily pop an acetaminophen or Tylenol tablet.”

The recommendation stems from a Harvard study that found an association between Tylenol and autism but established no “definitive causation,” according to the research. Oz acknowledged that proving whether acetaminophen causes autism would require “at least five more years of research.”

High fever, severe pain still warrant medication use, administrator says

The guidance follows President Donald Trump’s comments about Tylenol being harmful during pregnancy. The Harvard study’s lead researcher later distanced himself from the administration’s interpretation, writing that “further research is needed to determine causality.”

Oz defended the decision to release preliminary findings, asking whether the government should share available information with expectant mothers or wait for conclusive proof.

“The key question I would ask the researchers was, if your wife was pregnant, would you recommend that she cut back and use as little of the acetaminophen Tylenol as possible, or not?” Oz said. “And most people said, ‘Yeah, why would you take more than you need to?'”

The administrator also discussed leucovorin, a prescription medication that might help some children with autism better absorb folate, a B vitamin. 

Studies involving about 250 children showed roughly half experienced some benefit, though Oz said definitive proof would require additional research.