Is Coffee Safe During Pregnancy? Drinking Coffee During Pregnancy

Is Coffee Safe During Pregnancy? Drinking Coffee During Pregnancy

Update: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists revised its guidelines about drinking coffee and caffeinated beverages in July of 2010. The new guidelines say that up to 200 mg daily of caffeine does not increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm birth. The new guideline was published in the August 2010 issue of “Obstetrics and Gynecology” and is based on a comprehensive review of all published studies on caffeine risks during pregnancy.

According to the ACOG’s Committee on Obstetric Practice, there is good evidence to show that having a cup of coffee a day doesn’t affect the risk of miscarriage or premature births. Dr. William H. Barth Jr., chairman of the committee, told U.S. News & World Report, “Finally, we have good evidence to show that having a cup of coffee a day is fine and it poses no risk to the fetus.”

can you drink coffee while pregnant? Yes, and No:)
Researchers studying the effects of drinking coffee during pregnancy found that -coffee in moderation is safe during pregnancy image copyright Kajrdj@SXC.hu

For reference, an 8 oz. cup of brewed coffee contains about 137 mg of caffeine, while a cup of instant has about 78 mg of caffeine. If you’re pregnant, you should also be aware of caffeine intake from other beverages and foods and count that against your caffeine for the day.

The committee didn’t make any statement about whether caffeine during pregnancy restricts fetal growth or has other effects on the growing fetus.

Caffeine in Pregnancy and ADHD

An early study suggested that there may be a connection between coffee during pregnancy and ADHD. A study found that children whose mothers had taken the equivalent of 10 cups of coffee a day during pregnancy had three times the risk of ADHD. Once the researchers adjusted the results to account for other factors, however, they found the increased risk was statistically insignificant — that is, they determined that even at that level, children born to mothers who drink coffee have no more risk of having ADHD than those born to mothers who don’t drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks.

Previously:

It seems that the connection between coffee and pregnancy may not be as simple as most people have always believed. A few recent studies show that drinking moderate amounts of coffee during late pregnancy may not be as bad for you as we’d thought. On the other hand, there seems to be a definite link between coffee and infertility.

Drinking coffee during pregnancy has been one of those automatic no-nos for a very long time, so a study released in January by the British Medical Journal may come as a surprise. Researchers studying the effects of drinking coffee during pregnancy found that “coffee in moderation is safe during pregnancy”. But is it really?

The effects of coffee during pregnancy is extensively researched – and the results of the various studies into the effects of caffeine and coffee on pregnant women, fertility and the development of the growing baby are contradictory at best. This latest study suggests that women who take in less than 300 mgs of caffeine per day are not endangering their babies. That’s widely been reported as ‘about the same amount of caffeine as three cups of coffee’ – and that’s where things get sticky. Is that a cup of home brewed drip coffee? An espresso at your favorite coffee bar? A sixteen ounce latte? A cup of instant? Each of those has a different amount of caffeine – and it’s not always easy to guess which coffee drinks are the most loaded with caffeine.

Another study in Denmark back in 2003 found that women who drank more than eight daily cups of coffee during pregnancy increased their risk of miscarriage or stillbirth by as much as 300%. The researchers suspected that the reason may be that caffeine constricts the blood vessels, meaning that less blood gets through the placenta to the developing baby. They also suggested that the caffeine in coffee may directly affect the baby, whose developing system is far more sensitive to caffeine than the mother’s. Other studies suggest that up to five daily cups of coffee during pregnancy is safe for your baby.

According to most medical experts, the bottom line on drinking coffee during pregnancy is this: pregnant women should reduce their intake of caffeine during pregnancy to about the amount found in 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day.

What about decaffeinated coffee and pregnancy?

There’s far less research into decaffeinated coffee and pregnancy. Since caffeine is the major culprit in the ill effects of drinking coffee during pregnancy, it stands to reason that during pregnancy decaf coffee is fine. There’s no suggestion that decaf has any ill effects on pregnancy at all. In other words, if you must drink coffee during pregnancy decaf coffee is the way to go. Caffeinated coffee should be limited to no more than one to two cups of coffee per day.

The Good News About Coffee in Late Pregnancy

The Danish study reported in January studied the intake of coffee in late pregnancy – the last trimester. It showed that in over 1200 women, those who drank no more than 300 mgs of caffeine a day showed no difference in birth weight or premature births with women who drank strictly decaffeinated coffee during pregnancy. If you really need that shot of caffeine, you might try replacing a few cups of coffee a day with decaffeinated coffee during pregnancy.

Related studies:

A study of 5,144 pregnant women by scientists at the State Department of Health, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and UCSF turned up some surprising results. The study found no significant increased risk for spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, associated with caffeine consumption. Even among women considered heavy caffeine consumers (300 milligrams or three cups of coffee a day) miscarriage risk increased only slightly — about 1.3 times the risk as noncaffeine users. The Study also found that women who drank three or more cups of decaffeinated coffee a day in the first trimester had 2.4 times the risk of miscarriage as those who did not drink decaf.

Read the full study at: http://www.ucsf.edu/daybreak/1997/08/825_caff.htm

Also on BBC: Decaf coffee linked to heart risk

Drinking decaffeinated coffee could increase the risk of heart disease, a study has suggested.
It could lead to a rise in harmful cholesterol levels, the US National Institutes of Health study found.

Read the article at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4444908.stm

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Comments

  1. sarah says

    I am 28 weeks pregnant and i have not drunk caffinanted coffee since i have gotten pregnant! But i drink decaffinated coffee. When i drink decaffinated coffee i usually drink 2 cups with about 4 to 5 teaspoons of suger. I drink decaff almost everyday mainly in tha morning and everything seems fine with my pregnancy. As a matter of fact im enjoying a cup right now. All i can say is good luck to everyone, which i believe everyone will be ok as long as you dont drink a whole lot of coffee!

  2. emma says

    hi, everything here is very interesting and great to read, i am currently trying to get pregnant but i am addicted to one specific coffee, nescafe gold blend decaff. i thought i was all safe since i have only one cup a day, and it has very little caffeine in it. but after reading this i am questioning if it’s that causing me to not get pregnant, we’ve been trying for 5 months. maybe i should try the swiss stuff. does it come in instant? thanks for the advice
    good luck to all
    em x

  3. John-Michael Perez says

    So, there’s mixed research on whether caffeine intake is linked to increased risk of miscarriage. One study found no evidence of a link, but another study found that intake of more than 200 mg a day of caffeine (regardless of the source) meant more than twice the risk of miscarriage. Neither study is conclusive proof that caffeine does or doesn’t cause miscarriage, however, as it’s possible that various confounding factors could have affected the results.

    With the available evidence in mind, a reasonable conclusion would be that it’s a good idea to restrict your caffeine intake during pregnancy as a safety precaution — there’s enough evidence to say that moderate to high caffeine intake might be linked to miscarriage. But on the other hand, if you’ve already had a miscarriage, you should not look back and assume that it happened because you drank too much coffee or ate too much chocolate while you were pregnant. There’s just not enough evidence to draw such conclusions, and it’s probably more likely that caffeine had nothing to do with your miscarriage.

    BOTTOM LINE: Why risk it?

  4. WEENA says

    to Jacks, when i was trying to get pregnant my ob-gyn advised me to not run but just walk because it lessens my ovulation. i followed her and it worked! I’m now 18 weeks. pregnant. goodluck!

  5. To Jacks says

    Thanks for your advise…clearly I am over doing it on the training but when it comes so naturally and feels so effortless to be able to run an hour, swim 1hr – 1 1/2hs, ride 2-3hrs its hard to give up as it makes you feel so good…but people have been telling me I’m doing to much and I know in my heart that I have to give it up or I just won’t be able to get pregers…and I’m not getting any younger!!

  6. Jacks7 says

    To kirsty… I went tocthe library and just searched for ovulation and fertility books. Also i talked to my doctor… But my opinion would be yes. I would def cut back on training! From what you explained it sounds like i did not even work out as much as you and it still affected my ovulation! And i know that excersize is something that can be very important in someones life but i made the choice to limit myself to an hour or less five times a week and here i am prego! So i would definatly consider making some changes in that area of your life:) its really hard to do at first but the result is definately worth it! Let me know if you need any more advice… I would love to help:)

  7. Kirsty says

    Jacks 7, please reply. I have started the ovulation drug, had 2 mths and no ovulation so the dosage was raised last month and still no ovulation. I’m still training, running up to 14km a day or swimming or a shorter run and bikram yoga class. Do you think I need to ease back more on the training? Where did you do your research?

  8. Jacks7 says

    I have worked in coffee for six years. In that time i have learned that certain coffee shops buy defaf beans that have been through the Swiss Water Process which means it has been decafinated only by processing water through them several times and no chemicals are used in this process. I am currently six weeks pregnant and personally ask coffee shops im my area if they buy decaf that has been through the water process and go there whenever i feel the craving! But i also think that everyones pregnancy is different and should consult their doctor for info and not take peoples peoples advice to heart .
    Also to Kisrty … I have also been in your shoes. I used to be very active and i also had few periods a year. My husband and i desired to have a baby so i did some research and found that intense excersize can decrease fertility and cause you not to ovulate! So i cut back and six months later here i am six weeks prego! I hope this helps!

  9. Jennifer says

    I do not think decaf coffee is safe at all during pregnancy. I am a coffee drinker and once I got pregnant I switched to decaf. Every day I would have 1 cup of decaf coffee. About 2 – 3 hours after I would have a low sugar episode that left me dizzy, very irritable, shaky, sweaty, and eating everything in site to get my sugar back up. As soon as I stopped drinking decaf coffee, my low sugar episodes stopped and I have not had one since. My advice do not drink any caffeine at all.

  10. Melanie says

    Well I’m confused….I’m a few weeks pregnant and cut down my coffe intake form about 5-8 cups a day to only 2 cups a day. I read that it was ok but now i’m not so sure.Help? is any amount of caffeine proven ok? and I bought some decaf,is that not ok and what about green tea??????

  11. Charlene says

    I think that coffee in moderation is not a bad thing during pregnancy.
    Decaf has plenty toxins and there are other supposedly healthy drinks like fruit juice, soda, and flavoured water that are layered with chemicals designed to keep the product fresher for longer. Sulphur Dioxide, Pimarcin and other preservatives are surely more harmful than the effects of a little caffeine here and there.

  12. Jim says

    My wife is pregnant and trying to avoid caffeinated coffee just to be safe, but looking into the process of decaffeinating coffee has got me a little concerned. In the standard methods of decaffeinating coffee (both direct and indirect) the coffee comes into contact with methyl chloride (a known carcinogen) and/or ethyl acetate (less toxic but still potentially harmful). If there are known carcinogens and neurotoxins being used to process coffee, is it really worth the risk of potentially damaging our baby’s health? I’ve been checking out alternative methods of decaffeination and the swiss water process as well as a new method called the Co2 process seem to be good alternatives. Fortunately coffees treated using these processes aren’t too difficult to find (at least not up here in Portland, OR). Does anyone else know anything about the standard or natural methods of treating coffee?

  13. uni says

    “As pregnant women, there are so many things we are advised not to eat and drink, i just think that in moderation, the simple things in life should still be enjoyable.”

    I just cannot agree more~~~~~its a baby which we are carrying , not a monster~ just be careful what you drink and eat , but that doesnot mean you cannot eat and drink at all…………….

  14. Melly says

    I’m 10 weeks pregnant and I rarely drink coffee. The key is to not drink a lot of caffeine because it also raises the baby’s heart rate which is why it could also cause a spontaneous abortion. It also travels through the placenta, and because pregnant women have a slower digestive system than non-pregnant women, that means the caffeine stays in your body longer. So just take care of how much caffeine you drink, whether it be through coffee, soda, or tea.

    My doctor told me that it’s okay to drink caffeine once in a while, but she just tells her patients to not drink it at all because once you tell a person that, it might go from occasionally to moderately and maybe potentially everyday. So if I drink coffee, it would be a very weak cup with lots of milk, and maybe once a week if that.

  15. sally mckenna says

    To babyone, regarding chemicals in decaf – there are brands out there that use natural methods of decaffeinating coffee. You can get chemical free decaff coffee in any natural food store (Whole Foods).

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