Tuesday, 05 August 2008
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The Buzz about Caffeine and Miscarriages
by Nurse Jenna
Caffeine, though considered by most as relatively harmless, is the most frequently used drug in the world. Pregnant or not, most of us count on our morning joe to give us that extra kick to get us through a long day. While we know it does not count as a major food group, we think little about the adverse effects it has on us because most studies have shown the risks to be minimal when consumed in moderation. What is not well known, is that caffeine from the double latte you have in the morning does cross the placenta and is also slowly metabolized by your fetus. It has long been a topic of debate how caffeine affects an unborn baby and there have been conflicting studies for many years. So what is the most recent news and is there finally a decisive word?Well, I don’t know that there will ever be a decisive word, but it certainly is “drink for thought” as the 2008 information came out from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology linking maternal caffeine consumption with an increased risk of miscarriage, even with other factors taken into consideration. The highest risk noted was for pregnant women consuming 200mg or more of caffeine daily—about 2 cups of coffee, or 4 cans of caffeinated soft-drinks.The risk factor also appears to be greater for women without other risk factors for miscarriage (i.e. no prior miscarriage history, non-smokers, and no history of nausea/vomiting during the pregnancy). The concluding advice: stop or reduce caffeine intact during pregnancy.
How much caffeine do you take in everyday? Were you, or are you being informed at your prenatal visits of the risks of caffeine during pregnancy?
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Comments (35)
Morning sickness pretty much helped me to avoid coffee in the first trimesters. However this is the first preg where once I felt better I started drinking coffee in the morning again, started sometime around the middle of the second trimester. I keep it to two cups (vs. my almost a whole pot a morning habit, yikes!) and try to avoid caffeine throughout the rest of the day. Good thing I'm not big on soda, lol.
I don't drink coffee or caffeinated soda - thank goodness!!
this is true about it being up for debate, the idea that it has some clue to miscarriages really does make me wonder though. I've had three miscarriages and I don't drink coffee, don't eat much chocolate, substitute water in for soda, and there isn't anything they can come up with that caused me to lose three babies. On the other hand, my mother who drinks coffee as a lifesupport drinks it constantly and has had 3 pregnancies without any issues at all. I guess it all depends on the situation and history.
i drink a ton of coffee but and cant live without it.but thankfully for me during my pregnancies even the smell of coffee made me puke.i didnt drink any during my pregnancies but the minute those babies popped out i was all for the coffee
I have four children; and with the first two, I had hyper-emesis; so caffeine was a definite out, but I do admit to drinking tea with the last two .. it made my stomach feel better, but I did experience a fetal demise ( seven weeks ) prior to conceiving my youngest son.
wow, thats food for thoguht
no doctors had mention coffee to me but did mention soda, smoking.
I used to drink coffee here and there but with these pregnancy he/she doesn't like anything else but water.
Whoa. Just this morning as I was downing my daily (much-needed, must have it) cup of joe, I was thinking about having to give it up when I get pregnant...then I was just kinda wondering if it was really necessary to give it up. Then BAM I log in here and read this. Thanks for the info.
Yeah, morning sickness kind of eliminates the desire for caffeine. But I do still drink the occassional soda or coffee. No more than 1 a day though, so I know it's okay.
I drank coffee with both my pregnancies, and my babies turned out fine. My son was born on his due date, and my daughter was 4 days late (ugh!). They were both healthy weights (10-1/2 pounds, and 8 pounds respectivly) and I was back to my prepregancy weight within 6 weeks. So no adverse affects here.
Thought it would be helpful to share some solid numbers. I couldn't believe that Starbucks regular medium coffee was so high in caffeine! Something that caused me to give it up, since the last time I had it, it caused my hands and arms to shake. (!)
http://www.cspinet.org/new/cafchart.htm
I drank soda when I was pregnant with both of my boys and they are totally fine. In fact neither of them really even care for soda. Of course I made sure to drink LOTS of water and milk also. With my 2nd son I drank a ton of milk, but I always had heartburn too and drinking milk helped it.
@ElizabethSnow@xanga - Everyone loves numbers....especially me, right! The risk of miscarriage over doubles when you consume over 200mg of caffeine daily vs no caffeine use at all (the risk goes from 12% to 25%).
Source: Maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage: a prospective cohort study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008; 198 279.e1-279.e8.
@javamommy@xanga - Makes you wonder if there is a reason why most pregnant woman find the smell of coffee repulsive, doesn't it?
I never knew coffee affected the placenta, it will be hard for me not to drink coffee if I ever have kids. I will definitely not drink it for the baby's health, it makes total sense. Not many people realize that caffeine is a drug.
I don't like coffee or soda, so it was pretty easy to kick the caffeine when I first found out I was pregnant. But no doctor has told me about the risks of caffeine. o_O
I am normally a big coffee drinker, at least 2 big mugs a day or I get the worst headache! Before I knew I was pregnant, I got very queasy having coffee so I drank my MiL's decaf for a few days. Then I tried a hot chocolate, got sick with that too. Once a figured out I was pregnant it all made sense! I didn't drink coffee my entire pregnancy or any caffeinated sodas. I did drink ice tea sometimes later in my pregnancy but only one glass with dinner or something. Amazing enough it wasn't all that hard for me to give up coffee during my pregnancy though, didn't have any withdrawal symptoms like I do otherwise. Maybe it was the psychological effect of knowing it was for my baby's health?
I went from drinking pepsi and moutain dew before I was pregnant to mostly sprite while pregnant. I did have an occasional pepsi. But I don't do coffee at all so that wasn't a big deal.
while pregnant and now 11 weeks later I get about 400 mg a day
and water the rest of the day, I was informed on the risks.
I'm not a big coffee drinker at all but i have worked in a coffee shop for over 4 years. (i do accounting and payroll but i have still learned a lot about coffee.) for those of you who are addicted here is some helpful hints:
* even decaf coffee has some caffeine in it. keep that in mind when you are drinking it. also if you are drinking a lot you may want to make sure that you are buying swiss water processed decaf. if its not swiss water processed then the caffine is taken out by nasty nasty chemicals that you wouldn't want anywhere near your unborn baby. much less in you!
* if you don't do decaf but are still trying to limit your caffeine intake keep this in mind: an espresso drink like a latte or cappuccino is going to have the least amount of caffeine in it. (yes you heard me right. you have to drink 3 shots of espresso to equal and 8oz cup of coffee caffeine wise). next in line is a dark roast coffee. it is roasted longer and more caffeine is roasted out of it. the very most amount of caffeine is a light roast of coffee. and arabica beans have less caffeine than robusta beans.
not to take over your blog nurse jenna. i know that we may not always agree on things but i am glad that you are informing people of the way caffeine effects your unborn baby! thank you!
@mamalove - Mamalove...we share the love of coffee (and healthy babies, right? And that is all that matters). Yes, I too, was a barista. It brings back good memories to hear about swiss water processed decaf! Good to hear about the details of the brew vs. the shot though. One can never know enough about coffee as far as I'm concerned.
I went cold turkey on the soda after I read it was harmful to the baby no matter the amt of harm. But once my babe was out, I went on a Pepsi Festival lol. Nice blog entry.
I refused to have anything with caffeine in it while i was pregnant. and i followed all the rules and every little thing the doctor or the books said. I had the "perfect healthy pregnancy" thats what the doctor told me when I was 7 months pregnant. A week to the day later my daughters heart stopped beating. I noticed she wasnt moving and a trip to the ER and an ultrasound proved my worst fear had happened. After 36 hours of induced labor I held a little girl that would never cry, smile, or know how much she was loved. The tests showed nothing other than that she was completely healthy...the doctors could give me no reason. Just because you do everything right doesnt mean that will work out right. Everyone needs to remember this. A cup of coffee here and there wont make a real difference. Whats going to happen is going to happen either way
@Liggylovesyou@xanga - I am so sorry to hear about your loss. You are right--you can do everything perfectly and things can go wrong and often there are no good explanations. There is nothing more tragic and my heart goes out to you and your family. You should know there is nothing you could have done differently and that when these things happen, more often than not, one never gets answers. Please know there are many people around who care about you and what you have been through and if you need to get in touch with someone you can talk to, just let me know.
My doctor always told me one caffinated beverage a day was fine. Some days I would have a soda and other I wouldn't. I think if you can eliminate it you should, but one every once in a while (staying wayyyyyy under the 200 limit) seems fine. Is this true?
I don't drink caffeinated drinks. Haven't since I was about 15. I did a report on caffeine and how it effects your body. I decided to cut it out to see how I reacted. Once I was off the caffeine and was over the withdrawal period, I felt great. I haven't missed it and it's been 7 years. So, this issue isn't a problem with me.