Consuming large amounts of caffeine during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage or low birthweight, so it's best to limit your intake of caffeine.
A UK case-control study showed that caffeine consumption of more than 300 mg/day during pregnancy approximately doubles the risk of miscarriage, and this effect is driven by coffee consumption [30].
Over-consumption of caffeine (more than 200mg daily) is linked to miscarriage, low birth-weight and fetal growth restriction, but many women are unaware what 200mg represents in real life.
Because caffeine is a stimulant, it increases your blood pressure and heart rate, both of which are not recommended during pregnancy. Caffeine also increases the frequency of urination. This causes a reduction in your body fluid levels and can lead to dehydration. Caffeine crosses the placenta to your baby.
Until we know more about how caffeine can affect pregnancy, it's best to limit the amount you get to 200 milligrams each day. This is about the amount in 1½ 8-ounce cups of coffee or one 12-ounce cup of coffee. Be sure to check the size of your cup to know how much caffeine you're getting.
They found that women who drink even a moderate amount of coffee and soda a day during early pregnancy have a slightly higher risk of miscarriage, but that caffeine consumption prior to conception does not appear to elevate risk.
And the study found women who drank more than two caffeinated drinks a day during the first seven weeks of pregnancy also were at a high risk of miscarriage. "The impacts of caffeine on pregnancy have been suspected for some time," says Joseph Stanford, MD, an OB/GYN with University of Utah Health.
"This is welcome news," says Gene Burkett, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. "Frankly, there is no credible data that says drinking a cup of coffee a day increases the risk of miscarriage. That effect is only seen after more than two cups per day."
Coca contains sweeteners from sugar that make the body receive empty calories and increase appetite for users. Pregnant women who drink coke will increase the risk of obesity and gestational diabetes.
It's okay to occasionally indulge your craving for a soda during pregnancy. But research shows it's not a good idea to make drinking soda a daily habit, whether you're having regular, diet, or caffeine-free.
Recommendations for pregnancy
The recommended limit in Australia is a maximum of 200mg caffeine per day. This would be equivalent to 1 cup of strong espresso style coffee, 3 cups of instant coffee, 4 cups of medium strength tea, 4 cups of cocoa or hot chocolate or 4 cans of cola.
Moderate caffeine consumption (less than 200 mg per day) does not appear to be a major contributing factor in miscarriage or preterm birth.
When it comes to caffeine and pregnancy, experts advise women to limit their intake to less than 200 milligrams per day, which is about one cup of coffee. It's a good idea to cut back on caffeine during pregnancy as much as you can, though, because even smaller amounts could affect your baby.
Chromosomal abnormalities cause about 50% of all miscarriages in the first trimester (up to 13 weeks) of pregnancy. Chromosomes are tiny structures inside the cells of your body that carry your genes. Genes determine all of a person's physical attributes, such as assigned sex, hair and eye color and blood type.
In early pregnancy, it's not known whether ibuprofen raises your risk of miscarriage. Some studies show a higher risk of miscarriage, but other studies show no risk. A recent Canadian study suggested that ibuprofen use in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy may raise the chance of miscarriage.
Not all miscarriages are physically painful, but most people have cramping. The cramps are really strong for some people, and light for others (like a period or less). It's also common to have vaginal bleeding and to pass large blood clots up to the size of a lemon.
If you happen to know the day you conceived, you can count 38 weeks from that day to find your due date. (Human gestation takes about 38 weeks.)
In particular, high caffeine consumption while pregnant can cause increased fetal catecholamine levels, which could lead to increased fetal heart rate and placental vasoconstriction and impair fetal oxygenation. Therefore, caffeine intoxication in pregnant women should be treated immediately.
While excessive stress isn't good for your overall health, there's no evidence that stress results in miscarriage. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But the actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur before the pregnancy is recognized.
Given the limits set by other health organisations it is possible that this may be lowered. This means pregnant women need to limit their daily intake to one cup of strong espresso-style coffee or two cups of instant coffee.