Human habits are considered to be a major cause of various social and health problems with proven importance and deep impact on human life.
One of the most common examples is the habit of coffee consumption. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world and can be prepared in a variety of ways. It has a pleasant taste, and it energises and stimulates the brain mainly due to its caffeine content.
Habits And Caffeine Consumption
To throw some data, the Nordic countries have the highest coffee consumption. For example, the consumption in Finland is the highest globally, almost double that in Brazil, Italy, France, Greece and Canada, which is the 10th highest in consumption, and about three times that of the United States, which ranks 25th.
Caffeine Effect On Female Fertility
The concern about caffeine and fertility began nearly two decades ago when a study reported that women who drank about a cup of coffee a day were 50% less likely to conceive. However, no study has since confirmed these findings. Studies evaluating the impact of caffeine on fertility have evaluated a variety of factors, including gestational age, infertility, or egg and sperm quality.
Some studies have reported that caffeine consumption increases the risk of infertility due to an increased incidence of fallopian tube disease or endometriosis and that it can affect egg quality.
In contrast, other studies conclude that coffee consumption has a beneficial effect on female fertility, and some others have not shown a correlation between caffeine consumption and female fertility.
Caffeine Effect On Male Fertility
On the other hand, sperm quality assessments failed to detect side effects associated with caffeine intake, according to a large study in Denmark.
However, a systematic review of the literature of approximately 20,000 men concluded that, while it shows that caffeine intake -possibly through damage to sperm DNA- can adversely affect male reproductive function, data from epidemiological studies with sperm parameters and fertility is inconsistent and vague.
Conclusions
The main issue with these studies is the heterogeneity of the participating group, meaning different ages, physical characteristics, causes of infertility, time of conception, body mass index, other daily habits, etc. The consequence of this is that conclusions are unreliable.
Also, in most studies, female infertility was defined as the inability to conceive per menstrual cycle for 12 months. Still, it did not focus on the desire to conceive, or the number of cycles women were trying to conceive.
Finally, there is no information on the consumption of other caffeinated beverages and foods (for example, soft drinks and chocolate).
In conclusion, you do not need to give up your morning cup of coffee, and of course, you don’t have to feel guilty about it while trying to conceive. No association has been shown between caffeine and reduced fertility in men and women to date.
