Fevers During Pregnancy Could Raise Your Baby’s Odds of Developing Autism

Jun 30, 2017

It might seem like absolutely everyone is trying to figure out what causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Of course, one in 68 children has an ASD diagnosis, according to the CDC. With stats like that, it’s no wonder why so many autistic people and parents want to know why. Weeding through all of the junk science and not-so-well-tested, so-called “facts,” the “answer” still isn’t completely clear. But a new study recently found evidence connecting maternal infections during pregnancy with an increased chance of having an autistic child.

The Study

Unless you’ve been living in a non-internet-connected, no-cell-service cave, chances are you’ve heard about this recent study. Researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health reviewed data from just under 96,000 children who were born between the years 1999 and 2009 in Norway.

Of the children included in the study, 583 were eventually diagnosed with ASD. Along with that, just over 15,700 of the mothers had fevers during pregnancy. The researchers found that women who had fevers during pregnancy were more likely to have an autistic child. But it wasn’t just one fever or fevers at any random point in pregnancy that raised a flag. The study found a link between specifically when and how many fevers a woman had and higher odds of ASD.

Second Trimester Influence

The Columbia researchers found that mothers who had three or more fevers after 12 weeks gestation experienced the greatest chance of having an autistic child. After analyzing the data, study researchers found that mothers-to-be who had one or two fevers during pregnancy were 1.3 times more likely to give birth to a child who would later be diagnosed with autism. When the woman had three fevers, the odds doubled.

Even though researchers aren’t 100 percent sure how maternal fevers during pregnancy and a child’s ASD diagnosis are connected, this theory doesn’t mean infections are causing autism. The specific virus or bacteria that’s making mom sick probably isn’t what’s raising the autism chances here. Instead, the thinking is that the infectious agent that triggers the immune response (the fever) may in some way affect the growing baby’s brain development.

Fever Reduction

If it is the immune response that is raising the autism odds for the baby, it stands to reason that reducing the fever may also lower the chance that there is some sort of developmental change. And the study did find that women who took acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) to lower their fevers were less likely to have a child who would eventually be diagnosed with autism than moms who didn’t take the meds.

Even though the researchers believe there might be a connection here, the numbers weren’t significant enough to show a true relationship. So, if you’re preggo and have a fever, don’t go dosing yourself with tons of Tylenol. Always talk to your medical provider if you’re sick or think you should take medication during pregnancy. And keep in mind, this study poses one possible connection or cause. Right now scientists are still testing it out. In other words — it’s a promising hypothesis, but not a fact.

Other Research

This certainly isn’t the first study posing that there is a “cause” for autism. Aside from the now debunked vaccine-autism connection, plenty of other researchers have tested their theories on environmental and health factors that may raise the odds.

In 2014, researchers from the University of California, Davis published a study in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders that also found a connection between maternal fevers and children with autism. Like the large-scale data analysis of the Columbia study, this one only included 538 children who were already diagnosed with ASD, 163 diagnosed with developmental delays, and 421 typically developing children. The researchers looked at whether influenza and/or fevers during pregnancy had any connection to autism. While maternal flu during pregnancy wasn’t connected to the child later developing autism, fevers were.

What do you think about this new research? Tweet us @BritandCo!

(Photos via Getty)

10 Tips For Fake Drinking When You’re Secretly Pregnant

When you're often the life of the party and happen to be partnered up and in your 30s, you'll instantly turn heads when you say no to booze. I can personally attest to the difficulty of this. As someone who loves happy hour and has a particular affinity for lemon drop shotsin totally inappropriate settings, there was no way I could get away with *not* drinking without inviting questioning looks.

Before I give you the guide to fake drinking when you're secretly pregnant, let me take this moment to make a PSA. If you see that a female friend of yours isn't drinking and she usually does, try not to ask her if she's expecting in front of everyone. She might be secretly pregnant, taking fertility drugs that can't be combined with alcohol, just trying to lower her dosage of alcohol with the hope that it helps her get pregnant. There's also the chance she might just be…not drinking. Be as it may, no one wants to be bombarded with pregnancy questions.

Of course, not everyone is going to take my PSA seriously, so I've got some tips and tricks for all you pre-reveal preggos. These same tips apply to gals who are not drinking because they are trying to conceive. I was personally in this non-drinking camp for about five months before getting pregnant.

And how's this for proof? I organized and attended a bachelorette party for two of my very best friends with about eight of my other besties present — and no one had ANY idea I was pregnant. So, trust me — I'm a bona fide pro at fake drinking.

Rosee Canfield for Brit + Co