Prenatal Risks Of Caffeine Every Pregnant Woman Must Know

Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in some plants, beans, and seeds. Most of the time, it is associated with coffee which has the maximum caffeine concentration. However, caffeine is also seen in a number of food and drinks like nuts, colas, hot chocolate and other chocolate products. It can additionally be found in some medications and other food supplements.

Not many of us realize that caffeine is simply equivalent to other drugs like nicotine and alcohol which have an addictive property, the main reason why a lot of people pine for coffee, tea or cola. It gives us a "feel-good-sensation" simply because it has the ability to stimulate our brain's pleasure center. The heartbreaking aspect about caffeine though, is the reality that a number of studies have highly implicated it with a number of prenatal risks.

In a longitudinal study carried out at the two large hospitals in United Kingdom covering 2635 expecting mother subjects, 13% had a baby with fetal development restriction (birth weight at less than tenth percentile). Higher caffeine consumption was associated to higher odds of having growth-restricted infants. On the contrary, the association between caffeine intake and fetal growth restriction is lessened for those taking much less than 100 mg/day of caffeine.

As far as the above study is concerned, researchers calculated that the odds of having a child with fetal development restriction in women who ingested 100-199 mg/day of caffeine is 20% greater, 50% greater for individuals who ingested 200-299 mg/day, and 40% greater for those who consumed much more than 300 mg/day of caffeine.

In another study reported early this year of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, there was an observed association of high caffeine intake with increased risk for miscarriage. The respective rates of miscarriage among females with no caffeine use, 0 to 200 mg/day, and 200 mg/day or more have been 12%, 15%, and 25% respectively.

Caffeine consumption during pregnancy is additionally linked to cryptorchidism. This is a condition wherein one or two undescended testicles at birth persist to at least 2 years of age. This was concluded by a prospective study done at the Center for Research on Women's and Children's Health in Berkeley, California. Investigators assessed that sons of mothers who drank 3 cups of coffee each day in the course of pregnancy have been likely to have persistent cryptorchidism. There has been recent interest with cryptorchid children due to their increased risk for developing testicular cancer.

Though the deleterious effects of fetal growth restriction, miscarriage, and cryptorchidism have revealed significant linear association predominantly with high caffeine consumption, this should not make any expecting woman complacent. There is enough proof to indicate that any amount, no matter how low your caffeine consumption, can cause some physical effects on your little one. Caffeine: (a) increases your child's heart rate, b) may have an effect on how much your baby moves in utero, (c) can cause you to absorb less iron which is detrimental to your little one's overall development, and (d) babies have a tendency to store caffeine in their bloodstream for longer durations of time and may have a potential risk to reach dangerously high levels.

Right here are some generally loved caffeinated beverages with approximated caffeine content which you may as well think of giving up.

instant coffee (8 oz) - 70 mg, brewed coffee (8 oz) - 60-120 mg
tea (8 oz) - 15-45 mg
coca cola (12 oz can) - 34 mg, pepsi cola (12 oz can) - 38 mg
chocolate milk (8 oz) - 4 mg, dark chocolate (1 oz) - 20 mg,
milk chocolate (1 oz) - 6mg

So if you are expecting, there's good enough reason to give up or at least cut back on your caffeine consumption. It may be hard to give up your morning cup of coffee or tea, but the price is high if you don't. Just think that you and your little one's health are far more important than the irresistible taste of brewed coffee!


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