Hold That Coffee: Study Shows Higher Caffeine Intake May Lead to Early Pregnancy Loss

Pregnant ladies, you might want to hold back on that cup o' joe. A new study done in the United States shows that higher intake of caffeinated drinks may result in an early pregnancy loss.

"There's something about drinking caffeinated beverages that is associated with pregnancy loss," said Germaine Buck Louis of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and lead author of the study in a statement.

The main objective of the study is to identify the factors that may affect the conception and pregnancy loss.

344 couples from sixteen counties in Texas and Michigan participated in the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) study.

Out of 344 pregnancies, 98 of them, or 28 percent, have experienced a miscarriage.

The loss during the preconception period was associated with women who are 35 and above, and the couple's consumption of more than 2 cups of caffeinated drinks.

According to the report from NBC News, the study is one of the most detailed studies linking high caffeine intake with pregnancy loss.

It is also the one of the first to show that food and drinks consumed by men can affect fertility.

Men and women who take 3 or more caffeinated drinks, such as sodas, coffee and energy drinks, a day before gestation are 74 percent more likely to experience an early pregnancy loss.

On the upside, Maine News Online reported that the study also shows that drinking multivitamins regularly during the preconception period can reduce the risk of pregnancy loss by 55 percent.

Women who continue to take multivitamins on a daily basis through early pregnancy have 79 percent more chance of preventing miscarriage.

The study was conducted by intensively observing the daily lifestyles of the participating couples. They were asked to list down every caffeinated drink, alcoholic drink and fish they consumed.

The subjects were also given urine, blood and saliva tests, and were weighed regularly. Women were also given regular pregnancy test.

The study was published in the online edition of the Fertility and Sterility journal.