Rebecca Hunt, MD, FACOG, is an OB-GYN practicing in Maine and the vice chair of the Maine Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

In recent weeks, federal health authorities — and the president himself — have raised concerns about the use of acetaminophen, a common pain relief medicine, during pregnancy, creating confusion and fear without any basis for it.

As an OB-GYN — a physician trained to provide care to people during pregnancy — I want to clarify that despite these warnings, acetaminophen remains safe, and medically important for people to use when they are pregnant.

When women are pregnant, they are subject to the same travails as anyone else, including pain, headaches and fevers. But during pregnancy, things are different: fevers can be incredibly dangerous, potentially causing birth defects or even the loss of the pregnancy. Headaches can be a sign of preeclampsia, a potentially fatal condition, and so it’s important to see if an over-the-counter medicine can provide relief, ruling out preeclampsia if so.

However, most pain relievers and fever reducers are not safe to use during pregnancy, and carry their own risks to the fetus.

That’s where acetaminophen — known by many by its brand name Tylenol — comes in. Decades of research has shown that it does not pose a risk to the fetus, and it has been proven to be effective at managing pain and reducing fevers.

Unfortunately, in a recent announcement warning people against taking acetaminophen, government officials pointed to studies they claim suggested that acetaminophen might play a role in causing autism. What people should know is that those studies were not well conducted and did not come to a firm conclusion that acetaminophen actually caused any neurological disorders.

What they should also know is that other studies — studies that were well designed, with large numbers of participants and strong conclusions — found that acetaminophen does not cause autism.

For example, one study looked at nearly 200,000 children born over a period of almost 25 years in Sweden, comparing pairs of siblings in order to have the best data analysis possible, and it concluded outright that use of acetaminophen was not associated with autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.

My concern as an OB-GYN is that my patients are hearing the warnings from the government and believing that, by taking acetaminophen, they could be doing something wrong. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, following the government’s recommendations and avoiding acetaminophen use during pregnancy, leaving them to “tough it out” and deal with pain, headaches and fevers without any medical intervention, could actually expose their fetus to the harms that they are trying to avoid— and worse.

As a doctor, I have cared for so many women throughout their pregnancies. I know that they do all that they can to have a healthy baby, and to give their children a foundation for a long, happy life. That’s why it’s so unsettling for me to see our public health agencies — who we expect to be medical experts who review the science without bias to make the best recommendations possible— stoking fear and exposing people to harm.

For now, I’m here to assure pregnant women in Maine that they do not need to suffer through pain or fevers because they are pregnant. In fact, doing so could cause even more harm. If you need relief, call your doctor and get medical advice that’s based on science.