Can Caffeine Cause a Miscarriage?

By Ross Weale
Health magazine contributor Roshini Raj, MD, discusses the connection between caffeine and miscarriage on the Today show on Jan. 21.




DR. ROSHINI RAJ
Roshini Raj, MD, a Health magazine contributor and part of the magazine’s Health Expert Network, is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine with degrees from the New York University School of Medicine and Harvard University. Currently Dr. Raj is an attending physician at NYU Medical Center’s Tisch Hospital in New York City. She also serves as an assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine, and she has a special interest in women’s health and cancer screening. She has also published several research articles on colon-cancer screening.

Dr. Raj has discussed health topics on numerous television outlets including NBC’s Today show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, FOX News, and Discovery Health. She has been quoted in publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and Fitness on the state of health care and other health news of the day. Dr. Raj is often called upon to explain and demystify complicated health topics.

Father's Age a Factor in Infertility

(HealthDay News) -- Among couples with fertility problems, those in which the man is over the age 35 have lower pregnancy rates and increased chances of miscarriage, a new study shows.

To come to this conclusion, French researchers looked at more than 12,000 couples who went to a fertility clinic in France.

In most of the cases, the couples were being treated due to the man's infertility. The couples underwent a total of 21,239 intrauterine inseminations (IUIs).

The researchers found that women over age 35 had a pregnancy rate of 8.9 percent, compared to 14.5 percent in younger women.

"But we also found that the age of the father was important in pregnancy rates -- men over 35 had a negative effect. And, perhaps more surprisingly, miscarriage rates increased where the father was over 35," study author Dr. Stephanie Belloc, of the Eylau Center for Assisted Reproduction in Paris, said in a prepared statement.

This is the first study to document such a strong paternal effect on reproductive outcomes. The findings were presented Monday at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual conference, in Barcelona.

"How DNA damage in older men translates into clinical practice has not been shown up to now. Our research proves for the first time that there is a strong paternal age-related effect on IUI outcomes, and this information should be considered by both doctors and patients in assisted reproduction outcomes," Belloc said.

"We believe that the use of IVF or ICSI should be suggested to infertile patients where either party is over 35 years of age," she added.

More information
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has more about infertility.

Health Tip: Trying Pregnancy Again

(HealthDay News) -- Trying to get pregnant again after a miscarriage can be fraught with a host of emotional and physical concerns.

Here are suggestions when considering another pregnancy after a miscarriage, courtesy of the American Pregnancy Association:

• Doctors routinely recommend waiting six months to one year before trying to get pregnant again. This is to make sure that the woman's body to ready to handle another pregnancy.


• It's also important to make sure that you're emotionally ready to try again.


• About 85 percent of women who have had a miscarriage go on to have a successful pregnancy. Among those who have had more than one loss, the rate is about 75 percent.


• If you do get pregnant again, ask your doctor to help you more carefully monitor your health and progress.


• It's normal to still grieve for an earlier loss while celebrating the arrival of a new baby.
  It's common to be hesitant in bonding with your new baby, fearing another loss.


• Talk to your doctor about counselors or support groups if you are having a difficult time with your pregnancy or new baby.