Thursday, 5 July 2012

Caffeine Contributes to the Risk of Miscarriage


Caffeine is one of the most loved stimulants taken by most of the pregnant women. When a pregnant woman consumes caffeine her metabolic activity gets enhanced and her heart rate and blood pressure increases. The baby growing inside is immature and unable to metabolize caffeine which is taken by the expecting mother.
 How caffeine consumption is linked with the risk of miscarriage? It is one of the most critical questions and answered by many of the medical experts. According to one of the medical study on caffeine and pregnancy, if caffeine is consume in more than 200mg ratio then the chances of miscarriage reaches up to 56 percent in comparison to those expecting mothers who do not consume caffeine. What foods and drinks possess caffeine? Coffee and products of coffee flavor, chocolates, tea and soft drinks are the common sources of caffeine. When these drinks or foods are taken excessively, caffeine starts accumulating into the blood stream as it is not being metabolized by the mother in her second and third trimesters. This may lead to birth defects as well.
Caffeine is not the only cause of miscarriage. Smoking is another culprit who contributes into the risk of miscarriage. If mother is addicted to smoking and smokes extensively then most obvious chances are of miscarriage. Effects of smoking during pregnancy also include premature delivery. Smoking doubles the chances of premature delivery and such babies are low in weight. They are most probably less than 5 ½ pounds at the time of birth. What is the reason behind miscarriages and premature delivery? Nicotine present in the smoking cause constriction of blood vessels and this leads to limited supply of nutrients to the baby via placenta.  Risks of smoking during pregnancy can be prevented if smoking is avoided throughout pregnancy.
If expecting mother pregnancy luckily survives even by consuming caffeine and smoking then most probably such baby would be underweight. Weight gain during pregnancy in accurate ratio is very crucial as it is one of the indication that baby is healthy along with the mother. How much weight to gain during pregnancy? From 25 to 35 pounds is necessary to be gained at the end of the pregnancy. Smoking and caffeine badly affects the growth of the baby by causing restriction in the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the baby. This way mother may not achieve the set target of accurate weight gain which is prescribed by her midwife.
Therefore, pregnancy is the time period in which expecting mother is required to take special care. Miscarriage could be the possible outcome if she shows negligence on her part. Bad habits like caffeine and smoking are the contributing factors towards many of the pregnancy complications and miscarriage is one of them.

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