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Too much coffee during pregnancy risks stillbirth

Maternal consumption of coffee during pregnancy and stillbirth and infant death in first year of life: prospective study BMJ Volume 326, pp 420-2

Researchers in Denmark identified 18,478 pregnant women booking for delivery at Aarhus University Hospital during 1989-96. The women completed two questionnaires, providing information such as medical history, smoking habits, alcohol and coffee consumption.

The risk of stillbirth increased with the number of cups of coffee a day during pregnancy. Compared with women who did not drink any coffee, women who drank four to seven cups a day had an 80% increased risk of stillbirth, and women who drank eight or more cups a day a 300% increased risk. There was no association between coffee consumption and death in the first year of life.

Women with a high intake of coffee are more likely to be smokers and to have a high intake of alcohol, say the authors. Adjusting for these factors reduced the risk slightly, but the link remained significant.

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