Relation between Caffeine and Infertility
Coffee and various types of tea( green and black),energy drinks and some soft drinks have a high caffeine content. As long as you’re not consuming high amounts, it is unlikely to affect your chances of getting pregnant. However, it is advised that those who are on the journey of embracing parenthood curb their intake to a bare minimum.
According to researchers who did various prospective studies on caffeine intake and fertility, came up with the following possible conclusions:
Women who drank soda were less likely to conceive than those who did not drink soda. Women who drank three servings of soda per day had the worse fertility rates than women who drank one soda serving per day.
High doses of caffeine might affect the quality of sperm but it’s unclear if this affects men’s fertility.
Certain other researches found out strikingly contradicting results with respect to caffeine and infertility:
- Women who consumed more than 300 mg of caffeine per day (more than 1 cup of coffee) had similar fertility rates compared to women who drank less than 100 mg to none per day.
- Women who drank two or more servings of tea per day were slightly more likely to conceive than those who drank no tea.
Not every study has ample data regarding the caffeine intake and the fertility rates leading to such contradictory results. However, majority of the studies looking at the dose-related effects of caffeine have pointed out that:
- Drinking 300 mg of caffeine increased the risk of early pregnancy loss or spontaneous abortion .
- Drinking 600 mg of caffeine more than doubled the risk of miscarriage.
- Caffeine did not, however, impact the time it took for couples trying toconceive naturally to get pregnant.
- Caffeine intake also did not seem to negatively impact pregnancy rates for couples receiving fertility treatments.
Safe limit for caffeine consumption while trying to Conceive
There isn’t a particular guideline drawing a limit for safe consumption of caffeine without any ill effects on fertility. However, a 200mg limit, including all sources of caffeine has been recommended.
It is prudent to be extra careful when going to a coffee shop, as it is likely to serve much stronger drinks than those you make at home.
Common foods and beverages and their caffeine levels:
| Food/Beverage | Average Caffeine Content | Permissible Limit amounting to 200mg |
|---|---|---|
|
200ml cup of instant coffee |
90mg |
Two cups |
|
200ml cup of filter coffee |
120mg |
One cup |
|
200ml cup of tea |
43 mg |
Four cups |
|
200ml cup of green tea |
50mg |
Four cups |
|
Can of cola |
40mg |
Five cans |
|
Can of energy drink |
80mg |
Two cans |
|
50g bar of plain chocolate |
50mg |
Four bars |
|
50g bar of milk chocolate |
25mg |
Eight bars |
Alternatives for caffeine containing Foods/Beverages
If you need to cut down on caffeine, switch from filter coffee to instant coffee as it’s slightly lower in caffeine. You could also make it weaker by using only half a teaspoon of coffee per mug.
Decaffeinated coffee is also a good and safe option, and it tastes almost the same as normal coffee. You may be able to trick yourself that you’re getting a caffeine hit!
You could also try these alternate beverages for coffee to reduce the caffeine intake:
- Green Tea
- Saffron milk
- Smoothie with the natural sweetness of fruits.
- Hot lemon tea
- Ginger Tea
Don’t forget that, even though few of the beverages have caffeine, your cup of coffee provides fluid too, so it is prudent to replace it with good hydration when completely cutting down on coffee. Once you stick to the lower limit of caffeine consumption, it would not adversely affect fertility. Consult with your Obgyn for further apprehensions regarding your caffeine intake.