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The Caffeine Connection
Is Your Daily Habit Hurting Your Chances of Conceiving?
By Marie-Helen Goyetche
"To this day, I'm sure my caffeine intake had something to do with the fact that I couldn't get pregnant," says Josee of Montreal, Canada. "I was 23 years old and in relatively good health; my husband Claude was 30 years old and also in good health. I couldn't get pregnant. My inner feelings point to our over-consumption of caffeine."
Could your coffee habit be keeping you from conceiving? Are your partner's cravings for soda inhibiting his fertility? There has been much research done of the effects of caffeine on women and men who are trying to conceive. A recurring theme of this research is that caffeine, taken in moderation, seems to be relatively safe for both partners to consume. The same findings are reported for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
However, other studies, including one done at Montreal's McGill University, have shown a correlation between high caffeine consumption and pregnancy loss.
Josee and Claude had been trying to conceive for close to a year when they made an appointment with their family doctor. Something didn't seem right. They were both in great health, so they couldn't figure out why Josee couldn't get pregnant. Fearing the worst, Josee asked to see a fertility specialist. Her doctor denied her request. Instead he instructed Josee and Claude to track their diet for a week. Meticulously, they recorded everything they consumed, "right down to the last cookie."
When the couple went for their next appointment, the doctor analyzed their weekly records and found they were drinking 10 to 12 mugs of coffee a day. He asked that both cut out caffeine from their diets.
"A 6-ounce cup of regular coffee has about 100 milligrams of caffeine," says Amy Ogle, MS, RD and author/producer of Before Your Pregnancy (video/booklet). "Whereas most 12 ounce cans of cola or 6-ounce cups of tea have about 30 to 50 milligrams."
Because an average mug holds about 10 ounces, Josee and Claude were drinking 1,650 to 1,980 milligrams of caffeine every day. Switching to decaffeinated coffee, which contains less than 10 milligrams of caffeine a cup, would have reduced their intake to less than 200 milligrams a day.
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