Pregnant women get thumbs up to drink a coffee a day

Pregnant women need no longer give up their morning cup of coffee.

Research by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has found that moderate caffeine consumption probably won't increase the risk of a miscarriage or premature birth.

Until recently, studies have had conflicting findings about the effect of moderate caffeine consumption on pregnancy complications, but a college committee has reviewed the evidence.

"I think it's time to comfortably say that it's OK to have a cup of coffee during pregnancy," Dr William Barth, chairman of the college committee, said.

The college committee on obstetric practice said 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, about the amount in a 12-ounce cup of coffee, doesn't significantly contribute to miscarriages or premature births.

That definition of ‘moderate caffeine consumption’ would also include drinking about four eight-ounce cups of tea or more than five 12-ounce cans of soda a day, or eating six or seven dark chocolate bars.

The committee said the evidence was not clear on whether consuming more than 200mg of caffeine a day might increase risk to pregnancy.

The group considered two recent studies, each of which followed more than 1,000 pregnant women.

One study, led by Dr David Savitz of Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York, found no increased rate of miscarriage for women who consumed low, moderate, or high levels of caffeine at different points in their pregnancy.

In the other, Dr De-Kun Li and his colleagues at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland found a higher risk of miscarriage in women who consumed more than 200mg of caffeine a day but no extra risk at lower levels.

Research has shown that caffeine is able to cross the placenta, which led to worries that it could cause miscarriage or premature birth.

In the United States, about 16% of all pregnancies end in miscarriages and about 12% of babies are born prematurely.

Barth said previous studies had been mixed and unclear about the link between caffeine and pregnancy risks.

It was the new findings from large groups of women that allowed the committee to feel confident that moderate caffeine intake was safe, he said.