A new study from NYU Langone Health suggests that maternal sickness during pregnancy does not cause autism in children. While previous research indicated a link between a mother’s health conditions and a child’s risk of autism, this study found that many of these associations can be explained by factors like genetics, pollution, and healthcare access.
Researchers at NYU Langone Health discovered that the few conditions truly associated with autism were actually complications with the fetus. These complications were early signs of autism rather than causes. “Our study shows no convincing evidence that maternal diagnoses cause autism,” said Dr. Magdalena Janecka, an associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Published in Nature Medicine, the study analyzed over 1.1 million pregnancies in Denmark. Unlike the fragmented medical records in the U.S., Denmark’s centralized health records allowed researchers to examine each mother’s diagnoses comprehensively. They focused on 236 diagnoses that occurred in at least 0.1% of pregnancies.
Lead author Dr. Vahe Khachadourian highlighted that the study is the first to thoroughly explore the mother’s entire medical history, controlling for multiple conditions and confounding factors. Researchers cross-checked maternal diagnoses with children’s autism risk, accounting for factors like the mother’s age and sociodemographic status.
The study found 30 maternal conditions statistically associated with autism. However, by including siblings of autistic children in the analysis, researchers determined that many of these conditions were influenced by genetics and environmental factors, not maternal sickness.
One key finding was that paternal diagnoses were just as related to child autism as maternal diagnoses, suggesting strong familial factors at play. The only maternal diagnosis strongly associated with autism was pregnancy complications related to the fetus, likely early signs of autism rather than causes.
Dr. Janecka emphasized that this research could alleviate guilt for mothers of children with autism. “Many mothers feel they did something wrong during pregnancy. Showing that these things don’t cause autism is important and may lead to more effective support for autistic children and their families.”
Autism is a developmental disorder marked by challenges in social interactions and repetitive behaviors, affecting about one in every 54 children in the U.S. Symptoms vary widely but can include reduced eye contact, reluctance to play, repeating gestures or sounds, and indifference to temperature extremes.