Whether you like it brewed, espresso or Moka, coffee is a beloved beverage for many. However, more than 200mg of caffeine per day is not recommended for pregnant women.
While it is true that there are no studies comparing pregnant women who consume varying levels of caffeine, most health organizations recommend keeping intake below this level.
Risk of Miscarriage and Preterm Birth
Studies have found that women who drink more than two caffeinated beverages per day have a higher risk of miscarriage and preterm birth. This is because caffeine crosses the placenta and interferes with blood flow. It also has a diuretic effect, meaning it increases the amount of water that is lost through urine.
Currently, health professionals recommend that pregnant women consume no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day – the equivalent of about two six-ounce cups of regular coffee. However, some outside experts say that current guidelines need to be reviewed.
These findings come from large observational studies that compare women who consume high amounts of caffeine with those who don’t drink much. Nevertheless, it isn’t clear whether caffeine really plays a role in negative pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage or preterm birth.
Still, it’s worth cutting back on your coffee and other caffeinated products while trying to conceive and once you become pregnant. You can reduce your intake gradually by having a smaller cup, switching to decaf (as long as it’s free of the chemical methylene chloride), or mixing in tea. Ideally, you can try to stop drinking coffee completely once the baby arrives.
Impact on Fetal Development and Growth
The diet of pregnant women is an important factor in fetal development and growth. Getting adequate amounts of nutrients, especially folic acid, decreases the risk of specific birth defects. However, many mothers also consume too much caffeine during pregnancy. Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid found in coffee, tea, cocoa and energy drinks. It passes the placental barrier and enters fetal blood streams. However, a pregnant woman’s body does not express the main enzymes that inactivate caffeine. This makes the fetus a target for caffeine-derived chemicals and toxins.
Researchers have found that infants born to mothers who consumed even modest amounts of caffeine during pregnancy were smaller than those born to non-caffeine consuming mothers. Mothers who drank the equivalent of half a cup of coffee a day were likely to have infants that were 84 grams lighter at birth and had head, arm and thigh circumferences that were.44 centimeters smaller than those of infants born to non-caffeine consuming women.
The study was not a randomized controlled trial where one group of pregnant women drank coffee and the other did not, but rather a large cohort study based on self-reported consumption of caffeine. It is not clear whether the difference was caused by coffee alone, as a mug of filtered or instant coffee contains about 140 milligrams of caffeine, or by other sources of caffeine such as tea and chocolate.
Increased Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
During pregnancy, it can take longer for your body to metabolize caffeine. This can lead to high blood pressure and a rapid heart rate. As a result, you are at greater risk of a heart attack and other health problems.
This increase in heart rate and blood pressure can also affect your baby. Some research has linked coffee to a higher risk of birth defects like spina bifida and decreased fetal weight.
While past recommendations have been to completely avoid coffee and caffeinated drinks while pregnant, current guidelines are more flexible. Many healthcare providers say it’s fine for women to consume up to 200 milligrams of caffeine each day. This is the equivalent of one 12-ounce cup of regular or decaffeinated coffee.
The recommendation comes from large retrospective studies that follow women and their children. These studies look at women who drink a lot of coffee and those who don’t and then analyze their outcomes to see if there is a correlation. They do not involve randomized trials where some women get caffeine and others don’t, so the results may be due to other factors than just coffee. However, these studies do support the idea that moderate caffeine intake while pregnant does not increase your risk of miscarriage or preterm labor.
Potential Link to Low Birth Weight
Whether you call it a cuppa, joe or a long black, if coffee is your morning ritual then chances are you will be very happy to hear that enjoying moderate caffeine intake during pregnancy does not increase the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth or low birth weight. Researchers from the University of Queensland have used genetics to analyse coffee drinking behaviour and found that women who enjoyed a daily cup of java didn’t have a higher risk for these adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Currently, health guidelines say pregnant women should limit their caffeine intake to less than 200 milligrams per day, which is the equivalent of two cups of regular coffee. However, these guidelines are based on observational studies and it is difficult to separate caffeine consumption from other factors that might be associated with poor pregnancy outcomes like smoking, alcohol or an unhealthy diet.
Moreover, most moms-to-be are unaware of how much caffeine is in their daily routine as it can be hidden in many products such as tea, soda and chocolate. Also, decaf coffee may contain small amounts of caffeine, too. Therefore, it is a good idea to drink fewer cups of regular coffee or try to switch to decaf or herbal tea.
Interference with Nutrient Absorption
Aside from raising your heart rate and blood pressure, caffeine can interfere with nutrient absorption. Because of this, it is important to not consume too much coffee while pregnant. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends limiting your intake of caffeine to less than 200 milligrams per day. This is approximately two, six-ounce cups of coffee. This amount may seem like a lot but it’s much better than consuming more than this.
A cup of joe, a cup of latte, or a daily cuppa, whatever you call it, is a staple for many people. However, it is also a popular drink that has been linked with poor pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage and preterm birth. This is why, for some time, it was recommended to avoid coffee while pregnant.
A reassuring finding from researchers from the University of Queensland is that moderate amounts of caffeine consumption do not increase the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. This is good news for those who have been hesitant to give up their daily cup of java, but still want to ensure they are following safe dietary guidelines during this exciting and challenging period of life.
Association with Gestational Diabetes Risk
Whether you call it coffee, java, or your daily cup of magic, many women struggle with giving up caffeine and may be unsure about the amount that is safe during pregnancy. Most health care providers agree that a maximum of 200 milligrams (about two, six-ounce cups) of caffeine per day is ok for pregnant women.
However, it’s important to remember that this recommendation is not based on any randomized trials. Instead, it is based on the fact that high levels of caffeine consumption are associated with a higher risk for certain complications in pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
One of the reasons for this is because caffeine is known to increase blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn can lead to premature contractions and even miscarriage. It also increases urination, which can cause dehydration in both the mother and the fetus.
A recent study, though, showed that women who drank moderate amounts of coffee and other sources of caffeine, such as tea, in their first trimester did not have an increased risk of gestational diabetes. It is thought that this might be because of the way coffee can help with insulin metabolism.
Potential Effects on Fetal Caffeine Metabolism
Caffeine can enter the fetus through the blood-placental barrier and the fetal liver does not have the enzymes to break it down, which means that the fetus is exposed to the full effects of ingested caffeine. The lipophilic nature of caffeine also allows it to cross the blood-brain barrier, and can lead to a buildup of the stimulant in the fetus’ tissue.
Studies on caffeine intake and pregnancy outcomes are complex to conduct due to several challenges in study design, such as the fact that women may change their dietary habits during the course of their pregnancies. However, the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa) offers a unique opportunity to examine caffeine intake due to its prospective design and detailed reporting of caffeine consumption. In addition, MoBa includes assessments of caffeine intake from different sources and different coffee preparations, and is assessed at three time points throughout the pregnancy.
MoBa’s unique data collection methods have allowed researchers to observe a direct relationship between caffeine intake and fetal growth. Small reductions in neonatal anthropometric measures have been observed with increasing caffeine intake. Although PTD is a complex pregnancy outcome with many different causes, our results indicate that maternal caffeine consumption can be associated with decreased fetal growth.