Pregnancy

Overview

• With the onset of nausea, vomiting and appetite loss in very early pregnancy occurs a drastic drop in coffee consumption and hence caffeine intake from coffee.

Women experiencing viable pregnancies are more likely to reduce their caffeine intake in response to the pregnancy signal than women who have a miscarriage.

Therefore, reduced caffeine consumption may be a consequence of pregnancy viability rather than increased consumption causing any reproductive complication.

• The studies available from the last decade do not provide convincing evidence that moderate caffeine consumption (200-300 mg/day*) increases the risk of any reproductive or perinatal complication.

The evidence for an effect of caffeine on reproductive health and fetal development is limited by the inability to rule out plausible alternative explanations for some observed confounding associations, such as pregnancy symptoms, smoking and incorrect, or imprecise assessment of the duration of exposure.

• Current recommendations for caffeine intake during pregnancy range from 200mg – 300mg per day from all sources i.e. not simply coffee.

* A regular cup of coffee contains approximately 100mg of caffeine.