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Emotional Aspects and Issues to Consider when Deciding to Pursue Third Party Reproduction Emotional Aspects and Issues to Consider when Deciding to Pursue Third Party Reproduction . . . . . . . . 1 Using donated eggs or sperm can be a a child who has a genetic connection to one of its parents. As in any major life Caffeine: Does it Affect Your Fertility and Pregnancy? . . . 1 been down the difficult road of unsuccessful decision, there are issues and feelings to be Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 infertility treatment. Each situation often Letter from the Regional Advisory Council Chair . . . . . . . . 4 One of the first steps in this process is RESOLVE News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 intense disappointment and feelings of grief, grieving the loss of the child and family you Volunteer Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 sadness, anger and exhaustion. Making the imagined having the traditional way. It is Volunteer Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 choice to use third party reproduction offers important to understand what these unique Coping with the Holidays–Again! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 the possibility of being pregnant and having losses mean to you and to your partner, both Personal Story: Is Your Doctor the Best One For You? . . . 9 Around the Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Adoption and Foster Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Forgive, But Never Forget: Reflections On My Daughter’s Birthmother . . . . . . . . . 13 Caffeine: Does it Affect Your Fertility and Donors’ Attitudes About Egg Donation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 RESOLVE’s 2009 National Tele-Seminar Series . . . . . . . 23 Peer-Led Support Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 By Samuel A. Pauli, MD and Donna R. Session, MD Advertiser Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Chocolate, coke, coffee, cappuccinos, 100 mg of caffeine a day with the top ten espresso, lattes… the list goes on, let’s percent of caffeine drinkers exceeding an face it, Americans love caffeine. Caffeine is one of the most widely available drugs. The website coffeeresearch.org estimates that of caffeine, the potential health impact more than half of adults consume coffee daily of caffeine use cannot be underestimated. Ahora la Región del Mid-Atlantic de RESOLVE ofrece apoyo y recursos en español.
and another quarter of adults are occasional Para obtener información contáctanos gratis drinkers. A matter of fact, a recent survey which helps provide that morning pickup for al 888.362.4414 o visita nuestra página de of more than 10,000 caffeinated beverage millions of Americans. However, caffeine also affects other organ systems of the body. Caffeine consumption is responsible for a Caffeine: Does it Affect Your Fertility and Pregnancy? rise in heart rate and blood pressure, revs up metabolism and the quality of the developing oocyte (egg). Preliminary studies in mice and monkeys suggest caffeine inhibits oocyte maturation. Multiple studies have suggested that caffeine consumption An immature oocyte does not fertilize and therefore is unable increases the risk of miscarriage. A study published last year demonstrated an increase in the risk of miscarriage with With most studies indicating that the effects of caffeine are increasing caffeine intake. Women consuming greater than related to amount of caffeine consumed, it would seem prudent 200 mg of caffeine per day had twice the miscarriage rate for women contemplating pregnancy to limit caffeine consumption. (25.5%) as compared to nonusers (12.5%). Moreover, pregnant Thus some experts have suggested an arbitrary threshold of less women may be more sensitive to caffeine as it is metabolized or than 100 mg per day. Caffeine intake may be derived from broken down slower during pregnancy. An additional concern several sources including coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate in pregnancy is the ability of caffeine to cross the placenta and (see Table). Women who consume large amounts of caffeinated beverages should taper their caffeine intake gradually to avoid While studies suggest the importance of limiting caffeine withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, irritability, restlessness use during pregnancy, caffeine may also impact the ability to and nausea. Ultimately, as no “safe” level of consumption has become pregnant. Several studies have shown that caffeine been documented, the goal should be judicious consumption increases the length of time it takes to conceive. One study during the preconception period and during pregnancy to showed that women who drank more than one cup of coffee a day were half as likely to become pregnant per cycle as Samuel A. Pauli, MD is a Clinical Fellow, Division of Reproductive compared to women who consumed less. Another study in Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) demonstrated at Emory University School of Medicine. Donna R. Session, MD, Associate that women who consumed even modest amounts of caffeine Professor and Chief, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, at Emory University School of (50 mg) were likely to have decreased live birth rates. While the Medicine. For more information, contact Samuel A. Pauli, MD. at spauli@ exact mechanism by which caffeine affects fertility is unknown, the answer may be related to the ability of caffeine to influence (Sources: Starbucks Corp., 2009; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2008) RESOLVE Mid-Atlantic Region • Winter 2009

Source: http://familybuilding.resolve.org/site/DocServer/Pauli_Caffeine_Final.pdf?docID=6767