To coffee or not to coffee

[MsG]

So I'm a bit of a coffee addict, and since I had a loss in September, I have dramatically cut down - switching to decaf and/or many days forgoing coffee all the time. And it's made me kind of miserable to be honest.



I'm considering giving up this monitoring of my coffee intake thing b/c the indefinite nature of it is starting to really get to me (I'd go back to monitoring it if I conceive). But I also have some guilt about the possibility of my absurd coffee intake leading to another loss. 

Curious how other people handled the caffeine issue while ttc.

[Deleted]

I didn't lower my caffeine intake until I was actually pregnant. And even then I still drank my allotted 200mg/day.

[ceejay]

I typically only drink one cup of coffee a day so I didn't change anything when we started TTC. I had initially planned on switching to decaf when we got pregnant, but that never happened, so...

Scientifically, I believe there have been studies showing that 200 mg of caffeine per day or less is fine for pregnancy (and therefore also for TTC).

[Deleted]

So how much coffee/caffeine do you have on a typical day?

[cnf2013]

Feb 2, 2017 15:00:24 GMT -5 @led said:

I didn't lower my caffeine intake until I was actually pregnant. And even then I still drank my allotted 200mg/day.

This.

[daisy818]

I haven't changed my coffee/caffeine intake, but my caffeine intake was already below the 200mg threshold. I think if I had been drinking way more coffee than that I probably would have cut back to the 200mg level.

[obscurereference]

I mean, if you're over the top with the caffeine, I would probably cut back. But I don't think that means eliminating entirely or making yourself miserable. There must be a happy medium in there somewhere!

[rooskie]

I cut it out awhile ago because I didn't want to go through withdrawal of the caffeine. I still drink decaf daily, but if I have caffeine I get a nasty headache a day or two later. My main vice was Diet Coke so I was more inclined to decrease artificial sweetener.

But I knew we were going into IVF so I wanted to do it before then.

Also, H gave up soda and caffeine to see if it would help his count and started losing weight. I felt guilty drinking it around him so I stopped.

For what it's worth I asked my RE if I needed to make any dietary changes before/during IVF and he said just to avoid alcohol. Nothing about caffeine.

[robotpcr]

I'm not an every single day coffee drinker, though I was more frequent when I worked full time, and I did not decrease when TTC or pregnant.

[kellybenelly83]

I used to drink 5-6 cups a day, while ttc I stopped at 4 but I really don't think it mattered, I cut down to 1-2 while pregnant.
Drink the coffee, don't make yourself miserable about it. You aren't doing yourself any favours by cutting it out and be no unhappy.

[BurritosAtEveryMeal]

When I was pregnant the first time, I cut back to two cups a day. Now TTC, I've maintained 2 cups. I can't function on less than that and DS seems normal LOL

[teraiin]

Feb 2, 2017 15:00:24 GMT -5 @led said:

I didn't lower my caffeine intake until I was actually pregnant. And even then I still drank my allotted 200mg/day.

+1

[Rama]

I continue to drink all the caffeine. I will, perhaps, tone it down if I ever get pregnant.

[MsG]

Part of my problem is, I don't really know how much coffee I drink on a daily basis when I'm not monitoring it. But it's definitely more than the 200mg a day. I'd guess somewhere in the 5-8 cups range depending on the day. I typically like my coffee black and hot, so I tend to top off way before it empties.

I don't think I'm addicted to the caffeine (I gave it up with no physical symptoms the last 6 months), but it's just something I love to sip throughout the day. I don't even mind doing the decaf, but I'm a known coffee drinker at the office and every time someone sees me brewing a special single decaf cup, I get comments.

[MsG]

Feb 2, 2017 15:15:15 GMT -5 ****** said:

SS I originally changed nothing. Now that I'm seeing RE, I'm making major changes. I'm cutting caffeine & sugar drastically. I feel like I'm spending the $$ so I need to check my intake.

Fair enough.

[Deleted]

I typically only drink one cup of coffee in the morning, so I haven't changed anything.

[MsG]

Gosh I'm envious of those of you whose normal habits involve fewer than 200mg a day .

[Ray]

I don't think you need to cut it out. I continued to drink it while TTC. I've never seen anything that suggests it will help re: GKU.

I unfortunately developed an aversion to coffee early in pregnancy so I stopped cold and had the worst headaches for a few months. I'm glad you dont Have to deal with that. Lol

[ajetter]

Special snowflake. I don't drink caffeine in any form. All water all day. I'm a weirdo.

[scoutradley]

I no longer drink caffeine for the most part. I found out in my teens that soda made me sick to my stomach. I continued to drink regular coffee up until I got pregnant with my first and then caffeinated coffee made me feel like I had a UTI so I cut it out. Now I'll drink some teas with caffeine if I can't find an decaf version but decaf and water are my go tos.

[LadyNymeria]

Feb 2, 2017 15:00:24 GMT -5 @led said:

I didn't lower my caffeine intake until I was actually pregnant. And even then I still drank my allotted 200mg/day.

^^wss

I love coffee way too much to have given it up while TTC.

[kensie5226]

I never cut down even once I got KU, but I only drink 200-300 mg a day. I like espresso which per part has more than coffee, but in one shot is only about 70mg. So it's easier for me to monitor how much I am having. Coffee's caffeine range is so wide that it's really hard to judge. I read the book Expecting Better and she really looks at caffeine's effect on pregnancy and if you're interested in the statistics for caffeine and loss I suggest you pick up her book. I say drink the coffee! Maybe switch out a couple of cups for water or something. 5-8 cups is definitely on the high end of things.

[citybee]

I drink a fair amount of coffee every day and I have never cut back while TTC. When I was pregnant, I cut down to 1-2 cups a day. I love my caffeine boost, but I also love pretty much everything about coffee.

[hoosiermama76]

I don't think it makes a difference if you have that cup of coffee. I will say, though, that I gave it up for other reasons, and I feel fantastic (after the initial week of withdrawal).

[TheEleventhHour]

I never gave up caffeine TTC or pregnant. But I don't drink coffee, only tea, so most days I don't come anywhere near 200 mg. Personally I'd rather keep having caffeine than feel miserable while TTC and then stay around 200 mg while pregnant.

[robotpcr]

Feb 3, 2017 15:29:08 GMT -5 kensie5226 said:

I never cut down even once I got KU, but I only drink 200-300 mg a day. I like espresso which per part has more than coffee, but in one shot is only about 70mg. So it's easier for me to monitor how much I am having. Coffee's caffeine range is so wide that it's really hard to judge. I read the book Expecting Better and she really looks at caffeine's effect on pregnancy and if you're interested in the statistics for caffeine and loss I suggest you pick up her book. I say drink the coffee! Maybe switch out a couple of cups for water or something. 5-8 cups is definitely on the high end of things.

I love that book.  So interesting.

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2017 9:29:04 GMT -5 alwayscheese said:

How do you know if you're addicted to caffeine. I can go a day without drinking coffee, just tea etc. Does that mean no? Anyway I will be drinking all the caffeine until I get a bfp. Then will try to limit it to 1cups (maybe 2) of coffee, then tea the rest of the day.

Tea still has caffeine, depending.

[Deleted]

Feb 4, 2017 11:14:22 GMT -5 alwayscheese said:

Feb 4, 2017 10:30:31 GMT -5 @led said:

Tea still has caffeine, depending.

Right. I drink some of both. But isn't it pretty minimal compared to coffee?

Depends on the type of tea and the type of coffee. Sometimes tea has more. Black tea, for instance, is pretty comparable to coffee.

[Rama]

Feb 4, 2017 11:14:22 GMT -5 alwayscheese said:

Feb 4, 2017 10:30:31 GMT -5 @led said:

Tea still has caffeine, depending.

Right. I drink some of both. But isn't it pretty minimal compared to coffee?

Not always. The darker the tea, the more caffeine it has. Some black teas have a ton of caffeine.

As for your original question, could you go a week without caffeine? A month? If you have withdrawal symptoms, commonly stuff like headaches, you're probably addicted to caffeine. If I go more than 48-72 hours without caffeine I get raging migraines, that's how I know I'm addicted. I'm trying to wean down, though. It's a process.

[icedtea]

I took "drink till it's pink" to apply to all things while TTC. Admittedly I didn't drink a ton of caffeine in general, my body doesn't like it, but I'd go through phases.