Green Tea and Pregnancy
A Woman Fertility Aid?

We look at two studies about green tea and pregnancy. Does drinking tea help conceive baby?

When trying to conceive a baby, doctors are likely to tell you to eat healthy, smoke less and exercise more.

It is often not clear whether you should drink more or less green tea.

Green tea contains caffeine and tannic acid. When consumed in a large amount, both substances have been linked to fertility problems and miscarriage risk.

However, green tea also contains flavanoids and other nutrients that have been found to confer many health benefits.

Studies have shown that green tea slows down aging, converts fat to energy and reduces the risk of many diseases, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and heart disease.

So, could it be true that drinking green tea helps boost women's fertility?

Two small scale green tea and pregnancy studies suggest that it may help a woman conceive a baby. The results, though positive, are unsatisfactory.

Kaiser Permanent Medical Care Study

The 1998 study conducted by Kaiser Permanent Medical Care Program in Northern California discovered that green tea can double the chances of conceiving a baby.

Women who participated in the study drank more than one half cup of caffeinated green tea a day. Other caffeinated drinks did not produce the same effect.

It was suggested that tea constituents other than caffeine might have been responsible.

However, the study is not conclusive. The researchers said their results might be explained by other lifestyle factors. For example, those green tea drinkers may be exercising more and eating healthily.

The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health in 1998.

Stanford University Study

Another 2004 study carried out by Stanford University examined a nutritional supplement called Fertility Blend, which contains green tea extract, chasteberry, folic acid, L-arginine and other vitamins and minerals.

30 women aged 24 to 46, who had tried unsuccessfully to conceive for 6 to 36 months, completed the study.

A third of the 15 women taking the supplement were pregnant after 5 months, while none of the 15 women taking a placebo had conceived. No side effects were observed.

The researchers concluded that Fertility Blend may complement conventional fertility treatment. However, they did not comment on the effects green tea might have when used in isolation.

This green tea and pregnancy study was published in the April 2004 issue of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine.