health
April 27, 2026
Bombshell Study: Common Medications Taken During Pregnancy Linked to Higher Autism Risk in Children
A massive new study has found a worrying link between a number of common medications taken during pregnancy and a higher risk of autism in children
TL;DR
- A study involving over six million births linked 15 common medications taken during pregnancy to a higher autism risk in children.
- These medications, including antidepressants and statins, are associated with a 47% relative increase in autism risk.
- The risk of autism increases with the number of medications taken, reaching more than double the baseline risk when four or more are prescribed simultaneously.
- The researchers hypothesize that the medications disrupt cholesterol synthesis, a process vital for fetal brain development.
- The prescription of these cholesterol-disrupting medications to pregnant women more than tripled between 2014 and 2023.
- Cariprazine, an antipsychotic, was tied to the single highest risk increase (2.59-fold).
- Prenatal medications without known cholesterol effects showed only minimal associations with autism risk.
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