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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.”
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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Abby says
I am about 4 months pregnant and I dont drink caffeine every day but when i do drink it is in high amounts do you think my baby will be okay? I have heard a lot of differnt things about caffiene during pregnancy, and i haven’t been aware of how much you should or should not drink, but now that i am aware should i be worried.I did some light research about it when i first found that i was pregnant but did not relize the signifigance of how much effect caffine has on pregnancy, now that i have done more research i am some what concerned, but still not certain of how much caffeine consumed should be of concern.
Samantha says
I am 26 weeks pregnant with my first baby.. and i went completly off tea, well completly off everything for the first three months. As soon as i started to feel more myself i really wanted to drink coffee with a good helping of double cream, ive had one or two a day for the passed two months…i think there are a lot worse things pregnant women could be doing, and over panicing about how much coffee we are drinking is probably one of them !
babyone says
decaf has a bunch of chemicals in it…i read that decaf is actually worse for pregnant women and to just limit caffeine to a reasonable amount. i will not drink decaf since i read up on it during my pregnancy
MM says
I am not a doctor, but based on my studies in A&P and Nursing, I would say that the reasons for limiting caffine (i.e., coffee) would be mainly due to it’s vasoconstrictor effects. In pregnancy a woman’s blood volume significantly increases, because it needs to supply the baby and the mother with nutrients and oxygen. If you have an increased blood volume (which would automatically increase your BP)….then you add vasoconstriction (which is a narrowing of the vessels that also increases BP) I would think that it couldn’t be good for mom or baby. I’m not saying don’t drink coffee, but I think the recommendation to limit it is a great idea.
kisrty says
I, like Jessica am extremely healthy, an elite marathon runner who also swims and cycles, I have trained everyday for the last 400 days. I am wanting to get pregnant but I only get a few periods a year. I love my coffee and have a home made extra strenght soy latte a day. Is this reducing my chances of getting pregnant. Does anyone know?
alexandra says
Actually, I do agree with most of your posts but I must add to the whole decaff sharade that not only does it contain tons of pesticides, the same as regular coffee (one of the most chemical treated crops in the world along with soy beans) but also is heavily processed and some even claim toxic. So if you really crave you coffee in the morning you’re probably better off having a weak regular coffee that a couple of decaffs.
Jessica says
I am almost 18 weeks pregnant, I used to consume 2-3 decaf soy lattes a day before pregnancy, no caffienated drinks, hate caffeine, but up until a week ago it made me nauseated now I crave a small cup of decaf with half and half everyday, I eat very healthy I dont splurge on the normal pregnancy cravings, splurging for me is some natural vanilla ice cream and berries on top, and my decaf coffee, once a day, I also know alot about nutrition and feel that decaf coffee is way less of a concern than the moms I see buying a diet soda and a pastry.
A coffee fan says
I think coffee ring’s opinion is ill-informed and potentially dangerous. One person’s experience does not override years of research. It is true that there have been conflicting studies, but that is a reason to take things in moderation and TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR!! Many women experience high blood pressure during pregnancy and coffee can certainly play a role in increasing that. I hope people on this forum have more sense than to listen to posters that think doing things in excess is fine because it is their own “research.” I certainly would not want to risk a miscarriage or have a child with a birth defect because I was doing my own research, instead of trusting years of science. My advice is to wean yourself from caffeine slowly if you are trying to become pregnant or find that you are pregnant. There are many good half caffeinated varieties now and decaf that are just as tasty as the real thing. If you still need to have 1-2 cups daily, most doctors seem to say that is ok.
Tolu Odus. says
Not all the things that worked for Ms A would work the same way for Ms B. I totally support Chai latte, Moderation. If one is used to taking 8 cups, while pregnant 5 cups is OK (I think). That is the way to go. If one can go without, good.
Chai Latte says
I have never been a really big coffee drinker, but since my second trimester, I really enjoy a good cup pf coffee everyday. 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 agree with ‘coffee ring’ who says that even breathing air isnt always good for you.
coffee rings says
Since working in the coffee industry for the last 8 years & training as a qualified barista… I have learnt alot. It’s OK all this research – but to me means nothing!! During my pregnancy I still drank 8 – 10 (poss more)cups a day. I’m addicted I know. Still I knew what they say about drinking coffee in pregnancy but I just took it as research only and went ahead with my addiction! My baby came out 2 weeks late, the most beautiful skin i have ever seen, not a thing wrong with my baby and is a very advanced baby. I put it down to my 2 addictions COFFEE AND CHEESE! if you want to drink coffee in pregnancy go for it… I’m a very healthy lady compared to my friends who wouldn’t even touch a cuppa.
If at any point in my pregnancy I had low blood pressure that coffee was my cure.
I think you get to a point in life when people say what’s good & bad and start to realise even breathing in air isn’t always good for you.
Baristagirl says
I have been working in the coffee industry for the last three years and as a result I have acquired a lot of knowledge. I do not claim to know any effects that caffeine will have on a pregnancy. Evidently there are a lot of mixed messages as far as the potential effects of it. Because I see unbelievable amounts of pregnant women coming in and ordering our specialty coffees in both decaf and fully caffeinated. Specialty coffees (lattes, cappucinos,etc) tend to have more caffeine than an average cup of joe. Point of fact, decaffeinated coffee still contains caffeine, just a lesser amount than fully caffeinated.
jonny says
no way
Peggy says
I heard that decaf still has caffeine in it. Just less. That’s probably why.
pierina says
if caffeinated coffe is the problem why is decaff still limited to 2 drinks a day. what is the problem with it?