photo credit: smohundro

A Washington Post article says that caffeine consumption by pregnant women can significantly increase the risk of miscarriage, according to new research.

A study was made of 1,063 women in the San Francisco area, and their caffeine consumption  early in their pregnancies. Based on the findings, Dr. Kun Li, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, who led the study said:  the women who consumed 200 milligrams of caffeine or more a day were about twice as likely to miscarry.  That’s about the amount of caffeine in two eight ounce cups of coffee, five 12 ounce cans of soda or six cups of tea.

Based on the findings, Dr. Li recommended that women who are pregnant minimize caffeine to one cup a day at the most.  Tracy Flanagan, director of women’s health at Kaiser Permanente, agreed. “Avoiding caffeine may be even better,” she said.

For the health of you and your baby,

The Schoolmarm