Throughout my fertility struggles, I was asked by various nutritionists, health & medical professionals, 'how much caffeine do you drink daily?' I have never been a big coffee drinker, at most I would have 1 - 2 a day and I only started drinking coffee in my mid twenties. However, as I started being asked the question more and more, and reading the NHS guidelines for limiting caffeine in pregnancy that I figured if I could take it or leave it, then best to leave it to give my body the best possible chance of conception.
Once I started trying to stop, I realised I really did miss my morning flat whites at my local 'shot' coffee shop. I literally felt for a good few weeks that I was missing out. I would see people with their morning coffee cups and felt like I missing out. Decaf didn't even enter my head until a good friend asked, 'why don't you just drink decaf?' Did I really miss coffee that much that I was going to drink decaf for the taste but not the caffeine hit? Turns out yes. After one year I am a fully pledged decaf coffee drinker and I would honestly not know the difference between a caffeinated and de-caffeinated flat white.
Looking back sometimes I would feel a bit jittery with certain coffee, and granted it affects each and every one of us differently but if your thinking about making the switch, scroll on down.
Coffee & Fertility
The good news? If you really cannot face the day without your coffee fix, there is no evidence that caffeine intake below 200 milligrams a day affects female fertility. Limit to two 6 ounce or one 12 oz cup of coffee daily to stay in the safe zone, if your trying to prepare your body for pregnancy, actively trying to conceive or are pregnancy. These are the NHS guidelines and are perfectly healthy.
A Danish study found drinking 300 mg of caffeine increased the risk of early pregnancy loss, and 600 mg or more doubled the risk of miscarriage, so going over this limit may have a negative impact. Seeing as most women do not know they are pregnant until 5-6 weeks, drinking in excess of this, could result in an early miscarriage. It is worth remembering, it is not just coffee that add's to your caffeine limit, it can be found naturally in tea, chocolate and is also added to energy drinks, cold & flu remedies and some soft drinks such as coke. So it is best to mindful how your caffeine content adds up. If your blissfully unaware of your intake, try keeping a food diary (my fitness pal is great) or a journal and monitor your intake over a few weeks to check you are consuming a safe amount of caffeine.
Remember, a coffee made at home can have a completely different caffeine content to the amount of caffeine in a flat white at a coffee shop or restaurant. Living in London, means I would always be out and about grabbing a coffee and I just could not monitor how much caffeine I was having when having it out and about so best to play it safe and limiting to 1 a day.
Scientists have proven caffeine consumption triggers the release of the same hormones that create the fight - or - flight response, and it can exacerbate anxiety disorders. Caffeine affects each and every one of us differently, the same way drinking alcohol does, so if your aware that coffee makes you jittery or anxious then it is probably sensible to conclude it does not sit right with you. If your struggling to sleep, it may be time to curb caffeine, as a lack of sleep can affect hormone production thus affecting female fertility. When you think about it, you want your body to be a calm, cuddly haven where an embryo wants to implant and if this is off centre from imbalanced hormones it can affect your chances of conception.
If you have been trying to conceive for over a year or undergoing fertility treatment including IVF and your asking my personal opinion, I would avoid caffeine. Use this time to make your body as healthy as possible. Lifestyle factors including caffeine, smoking, alcohol, exposure to toxins and overexercising are all proven to affect fertility and are all within your control. So if your looking to boost your fertility as much as possible, giving up caffeine seems like a worthy goal. If your thinking of doing this, side affects of quitting coffee can bring on nagging headaches. I never encountered this, but if you drink more than 2 cups a day, it can be quite common, so try giving up when preparing your fertile body, and not during IVF, as that's definitely one stress you can do without from going cold turkey. If your morning brew is something you just cannot live without, then stick to 1 a day and say no to seconds.
