Can Pregnant Women Drink Decaf Coffee?

Can pregnant women drink decaf coffee? The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine from all sources per day. One cup of black regular coffee contains about 96 mg of caffeine. So based on that information they shouldn’t consume more than 2 cups of coffee per day which is about 192 mg of caffeine.

Can pregnant women drink decaf coffee?

There are some studies that have shown that high caffeine intake is associated with negative birth outcomes. So that is why it is recommended for pregnant women to limit their caffeine to 200 milligrams daily.

Decaffeinated means that 97% of the caffeine is removed from the beans during the processing. Which means there is still is some lesser amounts of caffeine in there even in decaf coffee. One cup of decaf coffee contains about 2.4 mg of caffeine and a decaf expresso has about 0.6 mg of caffeine. So decaf coffee clearly doesn’t mean there is no caffeine in it.

Can Pregnant Women Drink Decaf Coffee? Photo credit: Viorel Kurnosov

There was a study that showed that commercial decaffeinated coffee has up to 14 mg of caffeine per 16 ounce serving. There was also a 1997 study that found that women who drank 3 or more cups of decaf coffee during the first trimester of pregnancy; that they had a 2.4 higher risk of miscarriage than women who drank none. There was another 2018 study that had striking comparable results.

The low amounts of caffeine in decaf coffee shouldn’t negatively affect a pregnant woman as they are safe. In general, if their caffeine intake is in moderation, it shouldn’t hurt or affect their pregnancy or baby.

“The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine from all sources per day.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

The Bottom Line is decaf coffee contains a small amount of caffeine. And a pregnant woman drinking decaf coffee is safe and it shouldn’t affect her pregnancy.

As long as she keeps within the 200 mg of caffeine per day then her risk of anything happening to her pregnancy is exceptionally low.

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