No coffee in artificial insemination

Coffee reduces chances of pregnancy

05/07/2012

Coffee impairs the chances of successful artificial insemination. This was reported by Danish scientists at the annual congress of the European Society for Reproductive Medicine in Istanbul.

The effect of coffee on health is still hotly debated today. While several studies in the past year emphasized the benefits of coffee consumption, at the annual meeting of the European Society for Reproductive Medicine, Danish researchers have now addressed potential negative effects of coffee on the chances of successful artificial insemination.

Coffee reduces the chances of successful artificial insemination
According to Danish scientists, the chances of successful artificial insemination for women who consume five or more cups of coffee daily are significantly reduced. The reproductive physicians of the Aarhus University Hospital evaluated the data of nearly 4,000 women undergoing artificial insemination. The women planned to become pregnant by in vitro fertilization (in vitro test tube) or by direct sperm injection into the egg (ICSI). Also included were aspects such as the age of the women, their body mass index (BMI), alcohol and tobacco consumption. Irrespective of other risk factors, the coffee had a significant impact on the chances of successful artificial insemination, according to the experts.

From five cups of coffee a day show negative effects
In subjects who drank at least five cups of coffee a day, the artificial insemination failed twice as often as in the women who consumed less coffee, explained the Danish scientists. The study author Ulrik Schioler Kesmodel from Aarhus University Hospital summed up the results with the sentence: „We were not surprised that coffee interferes with the rate of artificial insemination - however, we were amazed at the magnitude of the impact.“ In addition, coffee enjoyment not only negatively affects fertility but also increases the rate of miscarriages by 40 percent. However, this only applied to a coffee consumption of at least five cups a day. Four cups of coffee daily, however, showed no consequences at conception and pregnancy. This agrees with the results of previous studies, which also found negative effects on health with only four to six cups of coffee per day, according to the scientists.

If artificial fertilization is planned, reduce the coffee consumptionn
The Danish researchers emphasized that although they were able to detect measurable effects in their study, no statistically clear statements could be made on this basis. However, their results provide another strong indication that high coffee consumption significantly reduces the chances of successful artificial insemination. According to Ulrik Schioler Kesmodel and colleagues, women who plan artificial insemination should reduce their coffee consumption to a maximum of four cups per day. To what extent coffee consumption can also have negative effects on natural pregnancies has not been investigated in the current study. (Fp)

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