I was a caffeine addict and consumed almost 7-8 cups of tea and coffee throughout the day. However, when I was trying to conceive, one of the first things my fertility specialist told me was to cut down on the caffeine intake.  Shocked to hear that, I wanted to find out how much I needed to cut back, but my doctor and RN both told me that it was best if I didn’t take it at all , and at the most 1 cup a day! Well I knew for sure that that wasn’t going to happen. There was no way I could survive on JUST ONE CUP a day.

I decided to do some research as to how much caffeine is alright for consumption during fertility treatment and pregnancy. I came across articles and blogs all telling me that caffeine was not the best thing to take during pregnancy, but there was no consensus of what quantity was safe. Most researches though show that the total caffeine intake should not exceed 200 mgs or 12 oz a day.

So what was the reason that caffeine should be avoided? First and foremost is that excess caffeine reduces your chances of fertility and particularly when you are going through invasive fertility procedures like IVF, then you want to do everything to increase your chances. Excessive caffeine intake also increases the mother’s chances of miscarriage.  If you are pregnant, then more than the recommended amount of caffeine can cause birth defects including:

• Low birth weight
• Faster heart rates
• Increased breathing rates
• Un-descended testes in boys

After finding out how negatively caffeine can impact conception and then the child’s growth, I was more than happy to cut down on the intake!