Caffeine safe in pregnancy?

By Jeana • January 26th, 2008

Pregnancy is an amazing adventure! One that is filled with so many “do’s and don’t’s” that it can make your head spin (or wait, maybe that’s the nausea?). One of the big discussions on the table right now is how caffeine affects your pregnancy. CNN posted an article on a recent study showing that caffeine may boost your chance of miscarriage. Miscarriage is one of those things that nobody wants to think about happening to them, yet it happens to so many. (Sidenote from Mudlark: I don’t know about you, but since I found out recently that I’ve got another little baby on the way I will do just about anything I can to avoid being one of those statistics!)

The study found that pregnant women who consumed more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, equivalent to about two cups of coffee, had twice the risk of miscarriage as the women who consumed no caffeine at all.

The study looked at 1,063 women in the early stage of pregnancy. Among women who consumed no caffeine, the miscarriage rate was 12.5 percent. In comparison, 25.5 percent of women who consumed more than 200 mg of caffeine a day miscarried. Although there was an increased risk for women who consumed fewer than 200 mg of caffeine a day, the lead investigator says the increase is not statistically significant.

We now know that drinking caffeine can DOUBLE your chances of having a miscarriage. It doesn’t matter whether the caffeine comes from coffee, tea, soda or chocolate. Recommendations from the March of Dimes warn women not to exceed 300 milligrams of caffeine a day.

But what about that last part? There was still an increase in women who consumed less than the recommended amount of caffeine in a day! Although I cannot find as much information on this subject as I would like but I did find a few things that can be connected to miscarriages.

Smoking – Women who smoke have an increased chance of miscarriage. The risk also increases if the father is a smoker. The husband study observed a 4% increased risk for husbands who smoke less than 20 cigarettes/day, and an 81% increased risk for husbands who smoke 20 or more cigarettes/day.

Exercise – A study of over 92,000 pregnant women showed that most types of exercise, with the exception of swimming, correlated with a higher rate of miscarriage before 18 weeks. Increasing time spent on exercise was associated with a greater risk of miscarriage: an approximately 10% increased risk was seen with up to 1.5 hours per week of exercise, and a 200% increased risk was seen with over 7 hours per week of exercise. High-impact exercise was especially associated with the increased risk. No relationship was found between exercise and miscarriage rates after the 18th week of pregnancy.

Obviously the key thing is to take care of yourself, eat a healthy balanced diet (watch the caffeine!) and take it easy for a while!

I know that’s what I’ll be doing!

Updated, 2/6/08, by Kathy (not Jeana, who expertly crafted the rest of the post): I had my 31 week check-up today with the midwife, and this time when I complained about dizzy spells (which I’ve complained about at every single appointment) my midwife suggested that I should increase my caffeine intake. Apparently the dangers later in the pregnancy aren’t as severe, and for people with excessively low blood pressure (like me), the suitable amount of caffeine is a bit higher. Need I mention that I’m anxiously looking forward to allowing myself to indulge in 2 cups of c0fffee tomorrow, guilt-free and worry-free?

Comments(7) Food & drink, Pregnancy

Comments

By Leanne on January 27th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

I think we need to be careful about analyzing this type of information. The number one reason for early miscarriage is chromosomal abnormality… not something that any woman can prevent. Also, many studies have shown that women can exercise safely during pregnancy…. especially if they were exercising before the pregnancy. Finally, the a caffeine debate is still raging… We need to discern good science and make healthy choices. We also need to be careful that we do not lay “blame” on women who do miscarry. As a woman who has miscarried, I can tell you that its hard enough to grieve the loss without blaming yourself through it.
One final thought…many people choose caffeine because they are challenged with fatigue… lack of sleep, poor nutrition, daily stress. A study that addressed those factors along with the use of caffeine would probably be more valuable in determining caffeine’s actual effect on a pregnancy versus various life style choices that may play into it…

By mudlark on January 27th, 2008 at 4:01 pm

Oh, goodness, Leanne, I wouldn’t dream of laying ‘blame’ on any woman or family who suffers the loss of miscarriage! Nor would I claim to diagnose why they miscarried.

Here at Broom Huggers we regularly post about making healthy choices in any stage in life, and we often discuss new studies out there. The studies Jeana mentioned in the post are certainly scientific, and if every medical provider out there recommends limiting caffeine intake, I think there’s something to it. Jeana also mentions that a cup or two of coffee a day amounts to less than 200 mg, and if 2 cups don’t help you make it through the day, than a third or fourth probably won’t be the miracle cure for energy that a pregnant mommy is looking for.

As for the study about exercise, I’m as surprised as you are, but that doesn’t make the study any less valuable. But I would think that any pregnant woman aware of the risk of miscarriage would want to be aware of the factors that may increase risk, allowing her to make informed decisions about what to avoid all together and what to use in moderation. According to this study, it might be more beneficial to swim than jog or do kickboxing.

I’d never presume to tell a woman why she miscarried. But as someone who’s pregnant, I certainly want to know what I can do to increase the potential of having a healthy baby.

By Leanne on January 29th, 2008 at 9:18 am

I appreciated your previous comments. I wish there were better ways to plow through the plethora of studies and theories that our media kind of “throws out” there…
I also believe that every woman must trust the signals her body is giving her during pregnancy!
I love your website because I really believe there are a lot of hidden toxins in our environments that could be linked to a variety of disorders and ailments… autism, fibromylagia, allergies, asthma, etc. I think any little thing we can do to take some of the risk out is beneficial!
Good luck with your pregnancy… I know I am anxiously awaiting this one to end!

By Pregnancy Symptoms on July 27th, 2008 at 12:19 am

Excellent post, I stayed away from anything that had caffeine it during my pregnancy. Wish I would have read this before, it is really a great read.

By Pregnancy Dumex on October 31st, 2008 at 4:54 am

Brilliant pregnancy article.Its always being a good moment during your pregnancy time

I was so exciting when my gf was pregnant last you.

By pregnancy on June 4th, 2009 at 12:02 am

There are many pregnant women who are addicted to coffee.