Give up coffee when TTC?

Coffee, tea, alcohol, smoking… I do not get it. I keep thinking like people on the road, homeless drug addicts fall pregnant without a care and we have to follow all this advice, exercise, supplements… and to think something as harmless as coffee can make you infertile. I’ll keep drinking ladies, so should you

I didn’t completely give up coffee while TTC, but I did cut back a lot.

Most of the advice I kept hearing was:

1. moderate caffeine is usually fine
2. excessive caffeine is where concerns start
3. many doctors suggest staying under ~200mg daily

For me, going from 3-4 coffees a day down to 1 was realistic.

Trying to quit cold turkey just made me miserable and stressed.

I also noticed TTC spaces online can become very all-or-nothing:

1. no coffee
2. no sugar
3. no skincare
4. no exercise
5. no everything

At some point it starts creating more anxiety than benefit.

That said, if someone has:

1. recurrent miscarriage
2. IVF failures
3. very high caffeine intake

…then cutting it down more aggressively probably makes sense just to remove one possible factor.

I think balance matters more than perfection during TTC.

Excessive caffeine intake is associated with dehydration and metabolism issues. Even though my doctor suggested I could safely have a cup or two when ttc, I decided to give it up. After the first few days, you start feeling lighter, sleeping better. I never resumed.