Cheryl a dietitian at EatatEase has been reading about a new study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has found that more than 200mg of caffeine a day doubled the risk of miscarriage compared to those women who had no caffeine. This level of caffeine is lower than the previously recommended intake.
The current advice is set at an upper limit during pregnancy of 300mg - or four cups of coffee a day.
So the question is should we be changing our advice particularly during the early stages of pregnancy?
We know that there is a greater risk of miscarriage during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and sadly 1 in 5 pregnancies in the UK will end in miscarriage. Although there needs to be more research into the effects of caffeine we might need to be more cautious with our advice in the early stages of pregnancy.
What we need to remember is that caffeine is not just in coffee.
300 mg of caffeine is roughly equivalent to:
Four average cups or three average mugs of instant coffee.
Three average cups of brewed coffee.
Six average cups of tea.
Eight cans of regular cola drinks.
Four cans of so-called "energy" drinks.
400g (eight standard 50g bars) of normal chocolate.
