CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES, DECAFFEINATED COFFEE, AND SPONTANEOUS-ABORTION

We examined the relations between spontaneous abortion and the consump tion of caffeine, individual caffeine-containing beverages (coffee, te a, and soda), and decaffeinated coffee in a prospective study of 5,144 pregnant women. We collected information about potential risk factors for spontaneous abortion, including consumption of caffeinated bevera ges and decaffeinated coffee before and during pregnancy, by interview in the first trimester. Neither total estimated caffeine nor individu al caffeinated beverage consumption during the first trimester was ass ociated with an appreciable increase in risk for spontaneous abortion. The adjusted odds ratio for consumption of greater than 300 mg per da y of caffeine was 1.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.8-2.1] after a djustment for maternal age, pregnancy history, cigarette and alcohol c onsumption, employment, race, gestational age at interview, and marita l and socioeconomic status. The adjusted odds ratio for spontaneous ab ortion related to consumption of three or more cups of decaffeinated c offee during the first trimester was 2.4 (95% CI = 1.3-4.7) in the sam e model. Although we could not demonstrate this with available data, w e suspect that this association was due to bias resulting from the rel ations among fetal viability, symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea, an d consumption patterns during pregnancy.