A 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that around one in nine kids ages 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). That’s over a million more than were identified with the condition in 2016.

Better recognition of the condition may be one reason for the increase, but it may also result from increased exposure in utero to substances that cause neurological changes.

One startling new finding is that when pregnant women take acetaminophen — and up to 70% of them do — their child has an increased risk of developing ADHD.

Researchers followed 307 women for eight to 10 years. They found that 9% of children born to women who didn't take acetaminophen during pregnancy developed ADHD, but 18% of children of women who used acetaminophen were diagnosed with the condition.

The association was greater among daughters; if they were exposed in utero to acetaminophen, they had more than six times greater chance of having ADHD.

The long-standing advice that acetaminophen is safe to take during pregnancy should be reconsidered, according to the study published in Nature Mental Health.

How can you safely control physical discomfort while pregnant? Cleveland Clinic advises regular exercise that stretches and strengthens muscles, elevating your feet while sitting, sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees, and using gentle heat and massage therapy.

Proper nutrition may also help. Calcium in foods such as milk and broccoli, as well as good prenatal vitamins can reduce cramping and pain.

For more information on having a healthy pregnancy, read our book "YOU: Having a Baby."