Does Coffee Prevent Pregnancy? How Much Can You Drink?
Ah, parenthood! I can still remember the first time I saw 2 lines in that HCG test. Unfortunately, some people are not able to conceive as planned, and they need to follow a pretty strict lifestyle such as avoiding coffee. But does coffee prevent pregnancy? Let’s find out.
Drinking too much coffee while trying to conceive can be a bad idea. It can slow down sperm as well as affect the health of the egg cell. Both can make it hard to get pregnant.
Does caffeine affect fertility?
Yes, caffeine can affect fertility in both men and women. If you are decided on getting your bundle of joy, this might be something worth looking into.
Caffeine is a natural substance that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. It's found in varying amounts in different foods and beverages, with coffee and tea being the most common sources.
📢Fact:
Caffeine is a natural substance that can make your nervous system more active. It's found in different amounts in foods and drinks like coffee and tea. It's also added to some medicines and energy drinks.
If you're trying to have a baby, you might have heard that caffeine can impact your chances of getting pregnant. And contrary to what you might think, you might be consuming more caffeine than you should.
Now a while back I wrote about how drinking coffee can be good for your sex life.
What does coffee mean sexually? Well, it can help men get and keep erections, and increase their energy for longer sex. Coffee can also boost women's sex drive.
For example, it may help with weight loss, which can make you feel more confident in the bedroom. And we know it gives us energy, which means more energy for the *ahem* process.
So, coffee can be a tasty way to improve your sex life!
And obviously, we know that sex points to babies (or at least for most people 😉).
Caffeine is found more commonly in drinks like tea, soda, and our beloved coffee. But caffeine is also present in energy drinks and chocolate.
Caffeine is also added to certain medications, such as cold and flu remedies, as well as some dietary supplements and energy drinks.
While many adults enjoy caffeine, it's important to understand how it can affect your ability to have a baby. You have to understand that if you’ve had Snickers that morning with your espresso you might go over your caffeine intake after taking Fiorinal in the evening.
Caffeine and Fertility in men
For men, excessive caffeine intake can reduce sperm count and motility. Motility refers to the sperm's ability to move around and travel to the uterus and fallopian tubes.
In this case, “slow and steady” doesn’t actually let you win the race.
So yeah, what wakes you up could actually slow down your little swimmers and affect fertility.
📢Fact:
Quantity is important, as fertility is more likely if the semen released in a single ejaculation contains at least 15 million sperm per milliliter. Although, the health of sperm is influenced by several factors, not just quantity, but movement, and structure.
High caffeine consumption has been linked to decreased sperm production and increased abnormal sperm shape, which can make it more difficult to achieve pregnancy.
If you're planning to have a baby, it's important to take good care of your sperm by living a healthy lifestyle. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, eating a nutritious diet, staying physically active, avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and staying away from harmful drugs.
These healthy habits can help ensure that your sperm are in the best possible condition for conception.
It's worth noting that caffeine affects individuals differently, and some people may be more sensitive to its effects than others. Factors such as age, weight, and overall health can also play a role in how caffeine affects fertility.
While caffeine is a common stimulant that many people enjoy, it's important to be mindful of its potential impact on fertility if you're trying to conceive.
Turns out, too much of that liquid gold might not be great for your baby-making plans. Quite a few studies are showing that high caffeine intake can actually decrease fertility in both men and women.
So, it might be time to put those caffeine-induced jitters on pause and enjoy that coffee or energy drink in moderation.
It's always a good idea to chat with your doc about your caffeine habits when you're planning to expand your family. Remember, a little less caffeine now might just mean a little bundle of joy later! 👶
But of course, this also goes for any other lifestyle factors that may affect your fertility.
Does caffeine affect egg quality?
Yes, unfortunately, caffeine does affect egg quality.
Should you stop drinking coffee when trying to get pregnant? Well… not exactly, but it can help. Caffeine can also affect the quality of eggs and sperm, further impacting fertility.
Here are a few negative impacts of caffeine if you are trying to get pregnant. 👇
1. Lower estrogen levels.
Caffeine use has been related to lower estrogen levels, which can impede ovulation and diminish your chances of conceiving.
If you did not have enough estrogen, you won’t be able to ovulate and be ready for the baby. It's best to have the right amount of estrogen for a healthy pregnancy.
If your estrogen levels are too low, it can be bad for both you and your baby.
2. It can affect the movement of a fertilized egg.
Drinking caffeine might make it harder for a fertilized egg to travel to the right place in a woman's reproductive system and implant.
Once a woman's egg is fertilized by a sperm, it travels through tiny tubes in her body called fallopian tubes and then attaches to the wall of her uterus.
This is called implantation and it's where the baby starts to grow.
3. Compromise the fallopian tubes.
Caffeine can affect how the muscles in the fallopian tubes move, which can slow down the journey of the fertilized egg. This can also affect the egg's ability to implant properly.
When female rats were given a dose that is like having six cups of coffee every day, for four days, before getting pregnant, they had trouble getting pregnant. The reduced fertility is because the embryo couldn't attach properly.
The same thing happened to mice when they were given a dose that is like having nine cups of coffee every day, or one to two cups of coffee every day before they got pregnant.
This shows that drinking a lot of caffeine before the baby attaches to the womb could be a problem for getting pregnant.
4. Increased risk of miscarriage.
Consuming excessive amounts of caffeine not only potentially delays pregnancy but also increases the risk of miscarriage.
Too much caffeine could also result in low birth weight.
It can be an issue before you even know you're pregnant, and it could also be a problem with having a healthy pregnancy. Yikes!
If you're thinking about getting pregnant or already expecting, it's important to be mindful of your caffeine intake.
Women who consume more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day are more likely to have difficulty getting pregnant. That is compared to women who consume caffeine in lower amounts.
It means that it could be trouble for your baby-making project if you are drinking more than 2-3 cups of coffee daily.
To be clear though, this is only IF you consume TOO MUCH caffeine. If you aren’t going over your 2 cups then you’re good.
But don’t forget, you might be eating M&Ms all day and the caffeine in chocolate is gonna get ya.
Of course, there are lots of other causes for unhealthy eggs. One of them can be undergoing surgery on the ovaries to remove cysts or treat endometriosis. This could potentially harm the ovaries or reduce their ability to produce eggs.
Similarly, chemotherapy and radiation, though vital in treating cancer and other diseases, can potentially damage a woman's eggs or trigger premature menopause.
How much coffee can you have when trying to conceive?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women who are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant should limit themselves to a 12-ounce cup of coffee.
This means that they should limit their caffeine intake to 200 milligrams per day.
Men should also be mindful of their caffeine consumption to optimize their fertility. If guys drink just one or two cups of coffee each day, it's unlikely to affect their ability to have babies.
The good news is that having a little bit of caffeine each day, like from one or two cups of coffee, is not linked to lower-quality sperm, according to studies.
If you're trying to conceive, it's important to be mindful of your caffeine intake. While it's not necessary to eliminate caffeine completely. It's generally recommended to consume coffee in moderation.
Keep in mind that caffeine can also be found in other sources besides coffee and tea, such as energy drinks, chocolate, and some medications. It's important to read labels and be aware of the caffeine content in these products to ensure that you're staying within safe limits.
The studies also clearly explained that problems with getting pregnant, staying pregnant, and having a healthy baby only happens with the mom consumes so much caffeine.
The rats in the research were given an equivalent of 9 cups of coffee! Jeez! That’s like 3 Redline Xtremes. So if you’re not climbing Mount Everest or something, maybe lay off the coffee?
Is decaf coffee okay when trying to conceive?
Yes, decaf is better than regular coffee if you are trying to conceive.
It is generally considered safe to consume decaf coffee when trying to conceive. This is because the average cup of decaf coffee contains about 5 mg of caffeine.
How much coffee can you have when trying to conceive? As I wrote earlier, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) you shouldn’t go over 200 mg.
You would have to drink a LOT of decaf coffee, around 60 cups every day, to go over the safe amount of caffeine for people who want to have a baby or are pregnant.
However, it's always best to consult with a qualified healthcare professional for personalized advice on caffeine intake during preconception and pregnancy. As I wrote earlier, our individual responses to caffeine may vary.
Do energy drinks affect female fertility?
Energy drinks can negatively affect female fertility. In women, consuming high levels of caffeine can decrease the chances of getting pregnant.
Energy drinks are drinks that have lots of caffeine, sugar, vitamins, and other things that can make you feel more awake. The caffeine in energy drinks is usually more than what's in coffee or tea.
Some studies say that having too much caffeine, like energy drinks, might not be suitable for women who want to get pregnant.
📢Fact:
Caffeine can change how your hormones work and might make it harder to have regular periods and get pregnant. Energy drinks also have lots of sugar, and too much sugar can mess with your hormones too.
But, more research is needed to know for sure. If you're worried about how energy drinks might affect your ability to have babies. It's best to talk to a doctor or nurse who knows about your health. They can tell you what's best for you.
Can you drink coffee while trying to get pregnant?
If you're trying to have a baby, you might have heard about caffeine and how it can impact your chances of getting pregnant.
Caffeine is a stimulant that is commonly found in drinks like coffee, tea, and soda, as well as in certain foods and medications.
While many adults enjoy caffeine in moderation, it's important to understand how it can affect your fertility if you're trying to conceive.
Caffeine should be avoided while attempting to conceive and during pregnancy, according to experts. According to some research, women who use a lot of caffeine may take longer to get pregnant and have a slightly higher risk of miscarriage and low birth weight.
