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Caffeine Abuse in Pregnancy May Increase the Risk of Miscarriage and Premature Birth

Edited and resized image by Brigitte Tohm is available on Unsplash

A question that should go through the mind of every mother-to-be: Caffeine in pregnancy is bad for the mother and baby?

According to the Brazilian coffee industry association, each Brazilian consumes an average of 83 liters of coffee per year. A cup of coffee has an average of 60 mg to 150 mg of caffeine. A dose of strong coffee can increase mental and sensory acuity in minutes, raise energy and increase heart rate. However, a cup of coffee is not the only source of caffeine. Substances such as green tea, cola soft drinks, guarana, chocolate, energy drinks, painkillers, flu medications and appetite suppressants also contain caffeine - the most consumed psycho-stimulant in the world. However, it can pose serious health risks when consumed in excess and pregnant women and doctors should be aware that excessive caffeine consumption can cause complications for the baby at all stages of pregnancy.

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That's because caffeine crosses the placenta and the blood-brain barrier (a structure that protects the central nervous system), and so it can be found in amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood, plasma, and baby urine. Since the 70s, several studies have been carried out that analyze the influence of caffeine on pregnancy. They link substance abuse to reduced fetal growth, prematurity, low birth weight, and miscarriage.

If you like coffee a lot, don't despair. You don't need to cut caffeine out of your diet entirely, just control the amount. Some researchers suggest that the consumption of pregnant women stay below 300 mg per day. already the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US food and drug regulatory agency, argues that intake should remain below 200 mg daily (corresponding to two cups of strained coffee or one and a half cups of espresso). There is also the option of decaffeinated coffee. Learn more about it in the article: "What is decaffeinated coffee? Is it bad?".

Despite the divergence regarding the dose, the tip is to drink and always consult your obstetrician about changes in your diet.

As a stimulant, caffeine doesn't just affect how the mother feels; it also affects how the baby feels. It alters the heart rate and metabolism, and can harm the baby's body and interfere with the growth and development of fetal cells.

According to a study by the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Tohoku University of Medicine, in Japan, women who consume more than five cups of coffee a day have a higher incidence of miscarriage, premature birth, chromosomal abnormalities, congenital malformations and reduced fetal growth. Another study, published in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, confirms that pregnant women with a high caffeine intake are more likely to experience a miscarriage in the first or second trimester compared to women who do not ingest caffeine .

a work of the Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes (INS) investigated the effects of caffeine consumption during pregnancy and lactation in mice. The researchers concluded that caffeine intake disrupts the brain building process and causes an imbalance. The substance provides a delay of several days in the migration of a specific group of GABAergic neurons (which secrete gamma-aminobutyric acid, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain) to the hippocampus (brain region related to memory and spatial perception). As a result of this imbalance, puppies became more likely to suffer from epilepsy and have febrile seizures, in addition to having less efficient spatial memory.

Intense caffeine intake is also related to changes in proteins crucial to the development and maturation of synapses, according to research by Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, held in rodents.

Other studies link heavy coffee consumption with arrhythmia in babies and with an increased risk of the child developing leukemia.

We know that “we are what we eat”, but this takes on even greater proportions during pregnancy. Everything you eat not only affects the health of the mother, but also the baby. Therefore, it is also important to pay attention to your diet during the gestational period. Eating habits, medications, exercise routine, psychological state, everything must be taken into account. It will be these elements that will nourish the woman's body and a new life.