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Coffee and Miscarriage

A recent study performed in Denmark has found a link between coffee intake during pregnancy and miscarriage. It appears that the more coffee you drink during the early stages of pregnancy, the higher your risk of suffering from a miscarriage becomes.

Danish researchers from the University of Aarhus polled over 88,000 women to find out about coffee intake during pregnancy. The majority of these women consumed no coffee during pregnancy, however, those that did reported increased risks of miscarriage.

Women who consume more than eight cups of coffee a day appear to be at the highest risk, illustrating a 59% increase in the rate of miscarriage. Researchers are still unsure why coffee appears to affect the risk of miscarriage.

How to Cut Down on Your Caffeine Intake

identify your motivation for quitting coffee; by quitting you will be ensuring that your baby will be as healthy as possible

find substitutes for your caffeine; for example, switch to decaffeinated coffee or a caffeine-free soft drink.

if caffeine provides you with a boost, try exercises and good food, especially complex carbohydrates and protein; other activities you can do include dancing, swimming or making love

ease off caffeine gradually to minimize withdrawal symptoms; start by cutting down to two cups daily; once you’ve adjusted, gradually reduce a quarter of a cup at a time, down to one cup, and down to none.

another way to ease the adjustment is to switch temporarily to a half-and-half caffeinated-decaffeinated brew during the withdrawal period, gradually decreasing the proportion of caffeinated and increasing the proportion of decaf until you are drinking completely caffeine-free coffee.

minimize withdrawal symptoms; caffeine is addictive, and quitting can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headache, irritability, fatigue, and lethargy

Tips to Help Minimize These Symptoms

Keep your energy levels up by keeping your blood sugar levels up. You can achieve this by eating frequent small meals that are rich in protein and complex-carbohydrate foods. Also, taking your pregnancy vitamins will help ensure that your energy levels are optimum

Make sure you get some form of exercise everyday

Make sure you are well rested and that you get plenty of sleep. Cutting down on your caffeine levels should help you get to sleep easier.

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Visit the forum to find out how other women cut out caffeine from their diet while they were pregnant