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Expert Q&A

	By Aneema Van Groenou, M.D. General Medicine

What's the scoop on caffeine and infertility and also during pregnancy?

What's the scoop on caffeine and infertility and also during pregnancy?

You can find caffeine in coffee, tea and colas, but also in a number of unexpected sources, like chocolate, decaffeinated coffee, chocolate milk, iced tea, energy drinks and clear sodas. Drinking caffeine may actually make it difficult to become pregnant in the first place. As little as half a cup of coffee per day can cause miscarriages and, in one study, three cups of coffee per day reduced women's chances of getting pregnant by 26 percent.

Caffeine actually interferes with your body's ability to absorb calcium and iron. During pregnancy, these nutrients are absolutely essential to your fetus' growth. In fact, drinking caffeine during pregnancy can even, rarely, cause babies to be born with weak bones because of poor calcium absorption. Caffeine is also associated with low birth weight infants, prematurity and stillbirth. It also can lead to anemia (low iron), future osteoporosis and inflamed gums in both you and your baby-to-be.

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