Drinking Too Much Coffee Reduces Success Of Fertility Treatment

Nowadays, a great deal of studies are coming out and presenting valid scientific evidence of numerous positive effects of drinking black sugar-free coffee in moderate amounts. Plenty is said about coffee health benefits, both in this very website and on the web. As one of the most recent studies has found out, drinking 3-4 cups of coffee a day can assist in decreasing skin cancer risk. Another study has confirmed that by using the same daily amount of high quality coffee one can prevent Alzheimer’s risk and reduce our chances to suffer from any one of other dementia like brain disorders. According to one more study, coffee can assist in lowering the risks of endometrial cancer and also have positive effects on the levels of female hormones, estrogens.

However, drinking too much of coffee (5 and more cups a day) is linked to several serious risks and dangers. In particular, those who consume increased amounts of coffee are at high risk of having sleep disorders, psychological disorders, or increased chances to suffer from cardiovascular diseases. In addition to that, a group of Danish researchers at the Aarhus University Hospital reported this summer that increased coffee consumption is linked to a failure in fertility treatment and lower IVF (in virto fertilization) success. Certainly, the findings of the research are applicable to modern women, and all of today’s ladies who are dreaming becoming moms and think of achieving pregnancy via IVF treatment should strictly control their coffee consumption, the researchers are convinced.

Danish scientists came to the above conclusions after analyzing the data on about 4,000 women who were scheduled to undergo an IVF fertility treatment at the Aarhus University Hospital from 2008 to 2010. All important information including the age of the participants, their body mass, lifestyle specifics, daily diet, bad habits, type of job, stress levels, as well as the most probable causes of infertility, and all other related factors, was studied. When the researchers figured out that success or a lack of success in IVF treatment may have something to do with coffee consumption, they asked the participants to report about their coffee consumption before the fertility treatment and between the treatment cycles.

“If you drink more than five cups of coffee a day, you reduce your chances of achieving pregnancy during IVF treatment by 50%,” said Dr Ulrik Kesmodel, a consultant gynaecologist and a study leader. He said that among the participants, there were a few women (every one of twenty) who reported consuming more than 5 cups of coffee a day. This habit of drinking too much coffee made them half as likely to get pregnant compared to those women who did not drink coffee at all. “It does seem reasonable, based on our results and the evidence we have about coffee consumption during pregnancy, that women should not drink more than five cups of coffee a day when having IVF,” Dr. Kesmodel confirmed.

The study leader also underlined the importance of further studies and researches regarding the issue of the established links between drinking too much coffee and fertility treatment success. Also, Dr. Kesmodel said that their study in no way means that all of those modern women who are about to have a fertility treatment should completely give up drinking coffee. According to the information granted by the British Coffee Association, low caffeine consumption and controlled coffee consumption have no harmful side effects on pregnant women or those trying to conceive. “An upper limit of 200mg of caffeine per day is perfectly safe. This is the equivalent of 2 to 3 cups of coffee,” said Dr Euan Paul, an executive director of the BCA. The findings of Danish scientific group were presented a month ago at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) meeting in Istanbul.

Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.

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