Effects of Caffeine on Pregnancy and Conception

Will Caffeine Disrupt Your Conception Plan?

Will caffeine hurt your fertility and threaten your chances of conception?

We are talking about a powerful stimulant here.

A powerful stimulant that works on your adrenaline, increases your blood flow and make you feel wide awake and alert. It heightens your anxiety.

Surprise Findings From Some Studies:

Please note that the findings below are related to high levels of consumption, they do not refer to your occasional cup of coffee.

A high level of caffeine consumption could lead to a significant delay in conception. If you consume more than 300 milligrams of this stimulant daily, you might be almost three times as likely not to get pregnant over the course of a year than women who don't consume it.
It could lead to an increase in miscarriages, gynaecological problems and birth defects.
In cases of pregnancy, it could increase the risk of premature births and lead to lower average birth weights.
In men, it could have a negative impact on the motility of sperm which reduces the sperm's capacity to reach and fertilise the egg.

Differing Views of Health Practitioners:

There is no standard recommendation for a safe level of daily caffeine intake.
Some practitioners say it's ok to have a cup of your favourite caffeinated drink a day. Others are of the view that if you're trying to get pregnant and want the best for your pregnancy, you should skip it all together to avoid the slightest risk.
Alternative practitioners believe that it does interfere with your fertility. It triggers your adrenaline, diverts blood away from your reproductive systems and instead directs its flow to your muscles and brain. Thus proper functioning of your uterus and ovaries could be impaired over time if you continue a high intake.

So Just How Much Can You Drink?

Experts always say that a moderate amount is ok, but just how much is ok?

Most infertility specialists think that no more than two cups of coffee or four cups of tea a day is within safe levels.

But not all cups of coffee and tea are created equal. For example, while coffee has the highest levels of caffeine compared with tea, your cup of cappuccino or latte has more of this substance than your cup of instant coffee.

For accuracy, caffeine should be measured in milligrams (mg), and not in terms of how many cups of coffee or tea.

A UK study advises pregnant women to consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine a day. In layman's terms, this would be about three cups of instant coffee, six cups of tea, eight cans of cola or eight bars of chocolate. It is also about five espressos from Arabica beans.

Here are further references for you:

One eight ounce cup of instant coffee has about 60 mg of caffeine.
One eight ounce cup of Starbucks brewed coffee has over 180 mg in it.
Other Starbucks specialty coffee can get as high as 280 mg in the same cup.

So do you now know how to differentiate between the three cups of 16 ounce brews you buy from Starbucks, to your three cups of 8 ounce home-made instant coffee?

So... to drink or not to drink? Tough question.

If you can do without caffeine, you'll feel better, regardless of whether it'll hurt your plan to get pregnant. You may wish to err on the side of caution and give it up completely?

On the other hand, you may really like to stick to just one or two cups of instant coffee or tea per day. Oh, take note that the longer you brew your drink, the higher the level of caffeine will be found in it.

Be on guard that significant amounts of this stimulant are present not only in coffee but also in tea, cola, chocolate, and some medications such as some pain relievers. You can even find bottled water laced with caffeine!

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