Coffee and Pregnancy

There is a lot of confusion about coffee and pregnancy, and whether or not women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant should be drinking coffee. This article outlines the health effects on pregnant women with the most up-to-date information available. For general information regarding the health of coffee, see our extensive article on the health effects of coffee.

Health Issues – Coffee and Pregnancy

There are many factors to consider when we talk about pregnancy and coffee. One must first keep in mind the amount of coffee and caffeine taken daily. Potential risks for heavy coffee drinkers include miscarriage, stillbirth, undescended testes in males, slepless infants, lighter babies, and iron defficiency in the mother.

Decaf Coffee in Pregnancy

Coffee, whether decaf or normal, impairs the ability of the body to absorb iron. While healthy adults can easily drink coffee and avoid iron deficiency, women who are pregnant or who have been given birth in the last few years are at the greatest risk for iron deficiency.(http://www.ajcn.org/content/48/3/645.long) This does not mean that women who drink coffee will neccessarily develop iron deficiency, but careful attention should be paid to getting enough iron.

Very little research has been done on decaf coffee in regards to pregnant women, however most of the references and experts cited here suggest that decaffeinated coffee is safe as long as the mother gets enough iron.

Caffeinated Coffee in Pregnancy

An average cup of coffee will contain between 94-133 mg of coffee depending on the study; see our discussion of caffeine in coffee for more precise numbers.

One study found that mothers who drank more than 200mg of caffeine per day had roughly double the risk of miscarriage, while those drinking less than 200 mg had no additional risk.(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22718279/ns/health-pregnancy/) Another study found that women who drank 8 cups of coffee (that's a lot of coffee) or more per day had an increased risk of a stillbirth.(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12595379 ). Other studies have shown additional health risks, however many of these failed to adjust for lifestyle variables such as smoking (which is more common among coffee drinkers). All of the studies we found involved more than 200mg – the maximum recomended by most experts for pregnant women.(http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20100721/moderate-coffee-drinking-ok-in-pregnancy).

Most studies suggest that there are few, if any, developmental issues with drinking coffee. That is, if the child is born at the right time and survives, there appear to be few lasting health concerns, even among heavy coffee drinkers. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12595379)

What About the First Trimester?

Despite common concern caused by the sensitivity of the first trimester of pregnancy with other drugs, we found no reliable evidence to suggest that drinking coffee in the first trimester was any different than drinking coffee in the second or third trimesters.

Conclusion

If you can't get by without your morning cup of coffee, most doctors agree that you'll be alright drinking one or even two cups of coffee per day.

Here at BeansMachines, we suggest that pregnant mothers avoid regular (caffeinated) coffee altogether, or at most stick with that one cup in the morning. While 200mg or less appears to be safe, we're not sure it's worth the potential risk. Decaf coffee and pregnancy seems to be an acceptable solution as long as care is taken to get enough iron. For more information, please consult your healthcare professional.

The information above is provided as a convenience, and BeansMachines.com cannot be held responsible for use of the information. While we have done our best to research the subject in-depth, the information should not be used as a substitute for consultation with medical professionals.