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Could coffee cause a miscarriage?

Introduction

Pregnant women should cut down on those cups of coffee. That’s the message from new research which suggests that too much caffeine during pregnancy could increase the risk of miscarriage...
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23/01/2008
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Cutting back on caffeine

Drinking too much coffee could cause women to miscarry. New research suggests that pregnant women should cut back on caffeinated drinks - at least in early pregnancy.

The authors of the study - published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology - suggest that women might even want to cut out drinking coffee or caffeinated drinks such as cola altogether, at least during the first few months of their pregnancy. It found that consuming 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day (the amount in ten ounces of coffee or 25 ounces of tea) could double the risk of miscarriage.

“If, for whatever reason, they really can’t do it [cut down completely], think of cutting to one cup or switching to decaff,” said Dr De-Kun Li, the lead author of the study.

Stopping caffeine really doesn’t have any downside.

The association between caffeine and pregnancy has long been an issue – with women given conflicting advice about whether they should or should be able to have it. But this new research – which included interviews with 1,063 women – appears to show that caffeine increases the risk of miscarriage, notwithstanding any other risk factors like smoking or age.

pregnant coffee womanThe Food Standards Agency currently sets an upper limit of 300mg, or around four cups of coffee a day, for pregnant women. The new findings suggests that this is too high, and British experts said that they would be looking into the issue.

"The main message for pregnant women from these findings is that they probably should consider stopping caffeine consumption during pregnancy" added Dr Li.

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