Does CAFFEINE increase the risk of miscarriage

Recommend limiting caffeine to 200 mg/day, about the amount in 12 ounces of coffee. Tell women to watch for ALL sources of caffeine, soda, tea......
Mahitab Hany, BS Pharm, PGDipClinPharm, PGDipClinNutrition, BCNSP

As a nutritional support pharmacist, you may hear that caffeine increases the risk of miscarriage. There is debate about whether caffeine increases the risk of miscarriage.

Research remains inconclusive. A study in the news suggests that caffeine increases miscarriages, while another study says caffeine is not to blame. But on closer scrutiny, both agree that small amounts of caffeine are probably okay.

  • Recommend limiting caffeine to 200 mg/day, about the amount in 12 ounces of coffee.
  • Tell women to watch for ALL sources of caffeine, soda, tea, coffee, etc.
  • Many energy drinks camouflage caffeine content with less recognizable herbal names, guarana, yerba mate, and cola nut.
  • Alert them to also watch for new "energy" foods fortified with caffeine like snickers, charged candy bars, sport beans, energy mints, and others.

NPS-adv

References

  1. Caffeine in pregnancy. [online] Available at: https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/caffeine-in-pregnancy.aspx.
  2. van der Hoeven T, Browne JL, Uiterwaal CSPM, van der Ent CK, Grobbee DE, Dalmeijer GW. Antenatal coffee and tea consumption and the effect on birth outcome and hypertensive pregnancy disorders. PLoS One. 2017 May 16;12(5):e0177619.
  3. Savitz DA, Chan RL, Herring AH, Howards PP, Hartmann KE. Caffeine and miscarriage risk. Epidemiology. 2008 Jan;19(1):55-62.
Mahitab Hany, BS Pharm, PGDipClinPharm, PGDipClinNutrition, BCNSP