Green Tea And Conception - Are They Linked?

Well apparently (after a small study by some American scientists) Green tea can aid in conception! Although this has not been studied enough to give definite results as yet.

Green tea has other health benefits too. It contains certain chemicals that can reduce damage to your body's cells, that can be linked to cancer and heart disease.

Anyhow back to green tea and conception! Green tea is made from exactly the same plant as everyday black day, but the leaves are not fermented as with black tea. It seems that the process of fermenting the leaves removes a certain amount of a chemical called polyphenols. Green tea contains 30 - 40% polyphenols, while black tea only contains around 10% at the highest.

polyphenols are chemicals which have very high antioxidant levels.

You may have been warned by your doctor or health advisor to cut down on caffeine while trying to get pregnant. While coffee has the highest amount of caffeine, black tea also has fairly high levels. Green tea still has a certain amount, although probably only one fifth the amount that a cup of coffee would include.

Green tea also includes tannic acid, and this along with caffeine has been found to increase the risk of miscarriage when large amounts are consumed. Both have also been linked to infertility problems.

Green tea and conception - Good or bad?

One piece of information I did come across, was a study that had evidence that linked babies born with neural tube defects (spina bifida) to women who drank large amounts of green tea, during or close to conception. This study was small, and more research needs to be done in this area before a definite conclusion can be drawn.

Neural tube defects are more normally linked to a deficiency in folic acid, therefore, when trying to get pregnant until around 12 weeks you really should take a folic acid supplement. You doctor or pharmacist will be able to recommend a brand and how much to take.

As for the green tea, well with the research that I have carried out, reading numerous articles and all kinds of different websites. I would say that the evidence is inconclusive. One or maybe two cups of green tea a day while trying to conceive, shouldn't do any harm, but there are no hard facts that it will do any good either.

If you have been trying to conceive for 12 months or more, it may be worth consulting your doctor, 6 months if you are over 35 years of age.

Return from Green tea and conception, to ovulation and conception page.

Or back to New baby and beyond homepage.