Cause Of Infertility Due To Caffeine Side Effects?

Something to think about if you're trying for a baby - new research finds that caffeine side effects may be a possible cause of infertility. The findings come from a study of mouse fallopian tubes, where caffeine was seen to interfere with the muscle contractions that move the egg from the ovaries up through the fallopian tubes, finally entering the uterus. This is a critical process in order for a pregnancy to proceed, yet is one science knows far too little about.

Once the egg was thought to be moved along the fallopian tubes by hair-like structures known as cilia. This work refutes that belief by showing that special pacemaker cells help coordinate the muscle contractions that move the egg along these muscular tubes.

By understanding more about how fallopian tubes function, doctors will be able to treat both inflammation and STI's more effectively. It might also give clues about ectopic pregnancy, where the embryo gets stuck and begins growing inside the fallopian tube.

The researchers concede that though the work was performed on mice, these findings do help to explain why caffeinated drinks might bring down a woman's chances of conceiving.

Doctors have long recognized that women who have a high caffeine intake do take a more prolonged period to conceive compared to those who don't take in caffeine.

Caffeine is a part of not just coffee but colas, tea, chocolate and even some drugs, while also being a common ingredient in other foods and drinks. It's found naturally in the leaves, beans and fruits of more than 60 plants around the world.

As a stimulant that is consumed by nearly 90% of adults every day, many consider caffeine to be one of the most widely used drugs around. It's been shown to impact mood and stamina, not to mention the cerebral vascular system, gastric and colonic action. Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) consider a moderate intake to be safe - 200 mg to 300 mg per day.

Infertility, defined as not being able to get pregnant after a year of deliberately trying (6 months if you're over 35), is a lot more common that you might think. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that almost 10% of women age 15-44 years do have trouble either getting (or staying) pregnant..

Both women and men can have problems that are the source of the infertility - about a third of cases can be traced to the woman, another third can be traced to the man, and the remaining third are undetermined or some combination of problems of both the man and the woman.

If you're dealing with infertility now, cutting the amount of caffeine you take in might help, and there's good evidence that cutting your caffeine intake ups your chance of success using assisted reproductive techniques.

If you're trying to conceive and taking in over 200 mg of caffeine a day, you might want to consider making a change. Try to keep caffeine intake to the four most common sources, coffee, tea, cocoa and cola. You'll be watching caffeine when you're pregnant, so there's no harm (and perhaps much good) in getting your body ready now.