Caffeine and Miscarriage Link Proven

[Polly]

http://news.aol.com/health/story/_a/pregnancy-problems-tied-to-caffeine/20080121101709990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Pregnancy Problems Tied to Caffeine
By DENISE GRADY,The New York Times
Posted: 2008-01-21 13:16:40
Filed Under: Health News
(Jan. 21) -- Too much caffeine during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, a new study says, and the authors suggest that pregnant women may want to reduce their intake or cut it out entirely.

Many obstetricians already advise women to limit caffeine, though the subject has long been contentious, with conflicting studies, fuzzy data and various recommendations given over the years.

The new study, being published Monday in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, finds that pregnant women who consume 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day — the amount in 10 ounces of coffee or 25 ounces of tea — may double their risk of miscarriage.

Pregnant women should try to give up caffeine for at least the first three or four months, said the lead author of the study, Dr. De-Kun Li, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.

“If, for whatever reason, they really can’t do it, think of cutting to one cup or switching to decaf,” Dr. Li said. “Stopping caffeine really doesn’t have any downside.”

Professional groups like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine have not taken official positions on caffeine, representatives said.

[Desirae]

Wow! Thanks for this article. That's scary.

[boosmama]

oh yikes....

im a pop a holic right now, i just cant get enough of it...hopefully reading this will help

[YourMom]

I kinda like the second half of the article..

[Mary]

Dr. Carolyn Westhoff, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and epidemiology, at Columbia University Medical Center, had reservations about the study, noting that miscarriage is difficult to study or explain. Dr. Westhoff said most miscarriages resulted from chromosomal abnormalities, and there was no evidence that caffeine could cause those problems.

“Just interviewing women, over half of whom had already had their miscarriage, does not strike me as the best way to get at the real scientific question here,” she said. “But it is an excellent way to scare women.”

That's the best quote out of this entire article.

That's just what women who've had miscarriages need -- something else to feel guilty about and make them wonder if it was their fault when there's probably about a 99% chance it wasn't. I hate studies like this one.

I use way more than 200mg of caffeine a day, usually, and I have three kids out of four pregnancies. I also am not going to take responsibility for what happened with the failed pregnancy when it was most likely chromosomal abnormalities, as the quote says. Miscarriages happen for a reason and it's usually not because the mother has done something wrong!

[Lori]

ITA, Mary. All this is going to do is make women who have had miscarriages and injested caffeine feel guilty.

Like the woman at the end of the article said, the methodology of this seems pretty flawed. To take women after they've had miscarriages and try to reconstruct from that what caused it doesn't seem like the best way to go.

[Beka]

I'm with Mary on this one- articles like this seem to be looking to add to mommy-guilt and attribute the "blame" of something that purely is just a case of shit happens to the nicest of people onto something we can actually point a finger at.

All I know is I lived a similar diet/lifestyle with all 7 of my pregnancies and I only have 4 kids to show for it, saying caffine is a blame factor is just another stab in the back for something that most doctors write off as "one of those things"

[Jo]

This study does seem pretty flawed. But if it was conclusively proven, the word should be spread about it so women can make an informed decision about caffeine. I am sorry if it would cause some to feel guilt but if something is definitely known, it shouldn't be held back in case someone feels badly.

At this point though, I don't think this study conclusively proved a definite connection any more than other studies have and the outcome is just a bunch of media hype.

[Jejune]

I agree, Jo. I'd rather know than not know, if it will be helpful. However, reporting on this like it conclusively proves something is not helpful and can create needless guilt. I realize why stories get reported this way, but I think media should question methodology more and stop making sweeping headlines like this. Too many studies are single studies with questionable methodology, and real science takes independent confirmation to draw a conclusion. Even one really good study isn't conclusive.

[freebiemom]

The article bothers me as well. Miscarriages are hard enough to deal with without being told that you contributed to it. Like many, I didn't do anything different during my pregnancy that ended in miscarriage so I don't want anyone coming around trying to find out what I did to "cause" it.

[Mary]

Yep, it's the typical media baloney. Write up the absolute worst-sounding headlines whether they are true or not, so long as it brings in readers. The way this story is presented is nothing more than fear mongering.