During pregnancy, you want to do everything in your power to ensure that your baby gets the best start in life. But that pregnancy-related fatigue really has you dragging. Usually, you would reach for a cup of coffee, but you have heard that caffeine is a no-no while you are expecting, even in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Caffeine's Uses
If you feel like you are addicted to your caffeine habit, you are in good company. According to the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, a full 90 percent of the world's inhabitants use caffeine in one form or another as of 2011, with 80 percent of adults consuming some each day. A central nervous system stimulant, caffeine affects your brain and nervous system as well as your metabolism. After consuming caffeine, you will most likely feel more alert. Unfortunately, there are some ill effects that can accompany that feeling of alertness. Because of both the desired and undesired effects of caffeine, the FDA classifies it both as a food additive and a drug.
Side Effects of Caffeine
You may already realize that too much caffeine can make you feel jittery and keep you awake when you would rather be asleep. But caffeine can do more than that--the jittery feeling you experience when you have too much caffeine can be accompanied by some alarming symptoms in your heart. Caffeine can temporarily raise your blood pressure and cause heart palpitations or heart rhythm irregularities. Additionally, because it is a diuretic, caffeine will make you feel the need to urinate more often, depleting your body of needed fluids and possibly dehydrating you. Caffeine also induces your stomach to make more acid, which can cause a sensation of heartburn or an upset stomach.
Caffeine and Miscarriage
In 2008, two studies were released that claimed to have demonstrated a link between maternal caffeine consumption and a higher risk of miscarriage. One such study, published in the "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology," reported a higher ratio of miscarriages among pregnant women who consumed more than 200mg of caffeine per day--in short, that women who consumed over 200mg of caffeine were twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage independent of any other background or symptoms.
With studies eliciting such frightening results, women were told to cut out all caffeine during pregnancy. However, other studies, such as one published in the medical journal "Epidemiology," failed to produce similar findings. The "Epidemiology" study found that caffeine did not increase the risk of miscarriage, and suggested that any perceived raised risk was due to unintentional researcher bias and misclassification of women who participated in the study.
Current Caffeine Recommendations
In 2010, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released an official statement declaring that, after a thorough review of the available data, there was no evidence linking moderate caffeine consumption to preterm labor or miscarriage. For their purposes, "moderate caffeine consumption" is defined as 200mg or less of caffeine, or what comes to about 12 oz. of coffee. They did not differentiate between different trimesters, so caffeine consumption during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy should be considered the same as during the remainder of the pregnancy.
The March of Dimes offers a similar recommendation, stating that women who are either pregnant or trying to become pregnant should limit their caffeine intake to 200mg per day. They also offered no separate evidence for different stages of pregnancy.
Because caffeine is still a drug and can cause unwanted effects, discuss caffeine with your health care provider if you are pregnant and see if she suggests you further limit your caffeine intake. You should also carefully evaluate many common food, drink and drug choices to see how much caffeine they contain, as caffeine content can sometimes be surprising. For example, many teas contain around 50mg of caffeine per cup, and some common pain relief and headache medications contain caffeine as well. Your health care provider can be a valuable resource to you in choosing what foods and medications to eliminate during pregnancy.
References
- Food and Drug Administration; Medicines in my Home: Caffeine and Your Body; 2007
- "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology"; Maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage: a prospective cohort study; X. Weng et. al.; March 2008
- "Epidemiology"; Caffeine and miscarriage risk; D.A. Savitz et. al.; January 2008
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; No Link Between Moderate Caffeine Consumption and Miscarriage; July 2010
- March of Dimes: Caffeine in Pregnancy
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