Caffeine

I met with the Nurse from FA this week to discuss the IVF process etc and she has recommended that DH and I go caffeine free as caffeine affects fertility. She also suggested not to have decaf tea or coffee as they still contain caffeine - now does this mean i am unable to have Hot Chocolates as chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine. Yeah I know I should ring her to confirm, but just wanted some thoughts from you guys on this matter....

Hate to say it Kobec, but I think Green tea has more caffeine in it than Decaf tea.

The nurse did say that if i did need a pick me up then i could have one, but not every day. And in my mind a decaf would be better than a full strength coffee or tea. Altura coffee in Albany do a decaf coffee that has at a minimum 97% caffeine removed and it is done in a non chemical way.

Hey I just rang the 0800 number for red seal - which is the brand of the green tea I was drinking and you were right. She said that green tea has about 1/4 of the amount of caffeine than is in a normal cup of coffee!! She said that there is a tea called 'redbush' and that has no caffeine in it at all. And you can actually have milk in it just like normal tea so I might give that a go.

yeah i wonder about this one...are there any studies on it?..i know they say it affects pregnancy but all the studies say in later pregnancy it has no affect.. i drank a couple of V's a day and a reasonable amount of other caffeine and had no issues(before being pregnant...i have a little caffiene every few days now) .. I'm not saying they are wrong just wondering what it is in caffeine that affects fertility? i didnt drink any during the 1st trimester though because of what I'd heard..

Redbush or rooibos tea is naturally decaf - there are quite a few different flavours out there too. Tea total in Milford have a great selection, I've been drinking it for the past couple of years on and off but now it is all i'm drinking plus the odd hot chocolate.

Ginger - i've looked in my info book at it just says to limit it as much as possible - just the nurse said it was preferable to have none. We are really trying to do the right thing and have no caffeine, some days are better than others and she did say if we needed a pick me up then to have one (just not every day). so I guess the old adage of all things in moderation comes into play here.

I used clomiphene for my first pregnancy so it's not quite the same but my fertility specialist, Mary Birdsall said it was ok to have a cup of coffee a day, esp if not having it will cause tension for you.

However, go with what you and your specialist think but try not to worry if small amounts sneak in.