Teas To Avoid During Pregnancy: Learn How To Prevent Problems During Pregnancy

Tea drinking has been a natural part of the tradition throughout the world. Tea consuming is an ancient habit. But to drink or not to drink during pregnancy, that is the question.

To drink or not to drink during pregnancy, that is the question.

Here is some information that hopefully will help you with your decision making around something a pregnant woman needs.

Green Tea and Pregnancy is a common and very relevant topic for expectant mothers and women who are thinking of conceiving. If you love your green tea like  most do, you will have to make a decision about whether to drink green tea during pregnancy, be it in moderation or not at all.

Most practitioners will tell you to err on the side of caution and to avoid caffeine or cut back on your caffeine intake to a "moderate level". The definition of moderate varies anywhere between 150mg - 300 mg.

But that again can be somewhat misleading. How much caffeine is in a cup depends on the type of tea and the strength of the brew. Flushing out the first brew will eliminate some of the caffeine content so that may help somewhat. If you are in any way concerned, eliminate caffeine from your diet while you're pregnant. If it's hard to do it cold turkey, cut down on it slowly

First and foremost, Green Tea contains caffeine, so keeping that in mind, consumption should be limited accordingly during pregnancy.

How does green tea affect my pregnancy and baby?

l  Caffeine is a stimulant and diuretic:

As a stimulant, it increases your blood pressure and heart rate, which is not recommended during pregnancy. As a diuretic, it increases the frequency of urination which may cause reduction in your body fluid levels leading to dehydration.

l  Caffeine crosses the placenta to your baby:

As an adult, your body may be able to handle the caffeine you consume, but your baby's metabolism is in the growing stages and it can be difficult for the fetus to metabolize the caffeine.

l  Caffeine causes infertility

Some studies have shown the link between high levels of caffeine consumption and infertility.

l  Caffeine causes birth defects

Studies on animals have shown that caffeine causes birth defects, increased risk of low-birth weight and preterm delivery. However, the studies are inconclusive.

l  EGCG may reduce folate levels

Green Tea Pregnancy Research has also shown that high levels of Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) that active compound found in green tea may reduce folate levels.

The study showed that women who drink high levels of green tea during conception and pregnancy many place the fetus at risk for neural tube disorders. Neural tube defects such as spina bifida are usually associated with folic acid deficiency.

In fact herbal tea, such as Chamomile tea, sage tea, parsley tea, teas with aloe, coltsfoot, juniper berries, pennyroyal, buckthorn bark, comfrey, labrador tea, sassafras, duck roots, lobelia and senna leaves should be avoided during pregnancy.

Chamomile tea has been popular for use as a soothing tea. This tea can be helpful in relieving upset stomachs and sleeping disorders. It sounds like something a pregnant woman needs. Sleeping problems and nausea frequently affect women during pregnancy which could result in the conclusion that this tea is good during pregnancy. But, this is not the whole story.

The herb chamomile is part of the Aster family. The FDA has included it on a list of herbs generally regarded as safe. There is one word of caution if you are allergic to ragweed, daisy flowers or plants in the Aster family, you should avoid chamomile whether or not you are pregnant!