My sister bought me a pregnancy book called “what to expect before your’re expecting” and I read that green tea is something you should avoid when ttc, but I have never seen this anywhere else and when I did some research all they could say was limit your caffeine. I have been drinking green tea as my subsitute for coffee for the last two months and I even drink the decaf version of green tea. My husband and I are having difficulties getting pregnant (low sperm count) and I dont wanna ruin any odds for us. I bought so much green tea this last month and now im not sure if I should even be considering drinking it.
Does anyone know if this is true?!
Those books are ludicrously paranoid. Yes. Caffeine is completely safe, too. The only risks for caffeine consumption occur during pregnancy if you ingest very large doses (more than 8 cups of coffee daily). It acts as a vasoconstrictor and causes relative uteroplacental insufficiency, thus IUGR.
Seriously, just about everything is safe. [name]Even[/name] deli meat. 
Yeah, seriously. What [name]Blade[/name] said.
I was flipping through this horrible book, “The Better [name]Baby[/name] Book” that seemed to have some common-sense things to say about choosing nutrient-dense whole foods and getting adequate fats, staying away from too many sugars and processed foods… but they go into some absolutely wacky stuff about how mushrooms are just too risky because we don’t yet understand all of their medicinal effects, how holstein milk contains opioids, so you should only drink jersey cow milk… and this terrible list of all the mold-contaminated foods, like peanuts and legumes, that might possibly screw up your offspring. I put down the book and decided that I don’t need to stress out about what NOT to eat to prepare my body for conception, or during pregnancy for that matter. I eat tons of fresh produce and get organic animal foods from the farmer’s market, I take fish oil and a good-quality multivitamin. Enough!
[name]Green[/name] tea is so packed with antioxidants, and it’s not nearly as high in caffeine as coffee. I wouldn’t worry. You can drive yourself crazy. I have actually witnessed someone chastising a pregnant woman (who they didn’t know!) for eating sushi. When I’m pregnant, I may forgo the tuna-rolls, but I am not giving up sushi thankyouverymuch. Not to mention unpasteurized juice, (fresh) eggs with runny yolks, and a cup of tea here and there.
Good luck to you!
Thanks [name]Blade[/name]! So decaf green tea should be just fine then?!
I drink decaf green tea every day while pregnant, OB has no issue with it. I cut back my coffee intake a bit when I was TTC, but it was through the roof and needed to happen anyway. Caffeine in moderation is fine.
When I found out I was pregnant, I tried quitting caffeine cold turkey because all my friends were freaking out that I was still drinking tea and coffee. After a few weeks, I was having terrible migraines and had to lay in a dark room for hours to feel normal. My OB told me to start drinking caffeine again ASAP, and that the risks of caffeine are far less worrisome than debilitating headaches. I had 1 or 2 cups of coffee a day while pregnant and everything turned out fine. I’m not sure about caffeine affecting sperm count though, as I’ve never had to think about sperm count/mobility, etc.
You can drink several gallons a day, should you so choose.
I will not get into the copious amount of homemade iced coffee I drink once warm weather hits and my husbands fountain soda cola addiction…our youngest was conceived in mid [name]June[/name] of last year…
I call that book “[name]How[/name] to freak out when you’re expecting”. 
Thanks everyone! I knew I could count on you guys! Everything in moderation!
@emmabobemma So sorry it looked like I ignored your comment! You must have replied when I was typing mine, because yours was not there yet on my screen when I responded to blade!
[name]Green[/name] tea is considered a super food by health gurus. I don’t drink coffee but I love green tea and drank it every day while pregnant with all of the children. It’s fine!!! Those books need to be shelved.
Disclaimer: I don’t pretend to be anywhere near [name]Blade[/name]'s league regarding the medical stuff
I did learn in my herbal medicine studies that green tea consumption in excess of 3-5 cups daily is contraindicated during pregnancy because of an ester called EGCG that apparently inhibits the production of folic acid when consumed in large quantities. There are also very tenuous links between EGCG and neonatal leukemia. I think the ester/polyphenol content is probably what the book is referring to rather than the caffeine levels. [name]Green[/name] tea in small amounts (1-2 cups daily) is actually beneficial for you and baby. It helps control your blood sugar (lowering your risk for gestational diabetes) and your cholesterol (reducing the chance of preeclampsia). So really it’s a classic example of “all things in moderation.”
If you feel concerned about using green tea, there are herbal “teas” that have really great benefits for pregnant women. All tea (green, black, white, and oolong) comes from the same bush, so herbal teas are technically infusions with no actual tea in them, allowing you to avoid any constituents you may find troubling. Herbal infusions that are safe and helpful during pregnancy include [name]Red[/name] Raspberry [name]Leaf[/name] (helps tone the uterus, increase milk production, decrease nausea, ease labor pains, and provide much-needed iron. Best used after the first trimester) Peppermint [name]Leaf[/name] (relieves nausea/morning sickness and gas pains) [name]Lemon[/name] Balm (nerve tonic, relieves stress, anxiety, and insomnia, moderates mood swings) and [name]Ginger[/name] (relieves nausea and vomiting).
Disclaimer Number Two: If you do go the herbal tea route, be sure to research the herbs in the infusion or ask your doctor or a licensed practitioner of herbal medicine before consumption, because many herbs are contraindicated for women who are pregnant or nursing, and still others are contraindicated for the first trimester. (The ones I have listed above are given the highest pregnancy safety ratings by the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database)
I hope this isn’t TMI! [name]Just[/name] offering the perspective of a (totally obsessed) student of natural medicine
I rarely comment in here because I know nothing about being a Mom so I would trust everyone else’s opinion on where it’s safe during pregnancy but I will say this: For the last year or so I was drinking jasmine tea so I wouldn’t snack at night, now keep in mind I was drinking HUGE amounts, like 60 oz of tea O: but anyways, apparently I raised the levels of oxelates in my body and it contributed to the kidney stones I’ve been passing since thanksgiving (FML).
Anyways, I learned a lesson that 1) everything in moderation and 2) watch out for anything that dehydrates you and raises oxelates! For my fellow kidney stone sufferers you might want to cut it out all together.
Sessh how cool that you’re studying herbal medicine! [name]Do[/name] you grow your own herbs?
I hear that nettle tea is also good to drink throughout pregnancy, because it’s very mineral- and iron-rich. Nettles are quite safe. You can eat them in vast quantities with no adverse effects (I make nettle soup in the spring.)
Sessh that was really interesting but a little bit incorrect in terms of the biochemistry. ECEG is a catechin [which helps induce weight loss] and in extremely high doses it functions as a topoisomerase inhibitor. Topoisomerases are enzymes which are used in DNA repair [all of the DNA in all of your cells is constantly under attack, very frequently damaged, and needs to be repaired]. Many chemotherapeutic agents are topoisomerase inhibitors, which is how they kill rapidly dividing cancer cells. There is no connection to folate synthesis or metabolism and again unless one is drinking mega-high doses no risk in pregnancy, and definitely not pre-conception.
You are right though-- anything that functioned as an anti-metabolite or which blocked folate synthesis would definitely be contraindicated pre-conception as it would definitely increase the baby’s risk of neural tube defects.
And agent99 is correct, teas are diuretics so if you are drinking them exclusively you will become relatively dehydrated, thus raising your relative risk for kidney stones.
What Sessha said is what I’ve learned as well (haven’t studied this, but have read books on herbs). I loathe green tea… I’m much more into herbal teas, they taste much better and are better for you (I believe). And I’ve also heard that for every cup of tea/coffee (things with caffeine in them) you need to drink two cups of water not to dehydrate, is that true?
And yes, do you have a herb garden Sesshie? Mine is pretty small at the moment, but I love growing my own herbs.
Fascinating! [name]Blade[/name], you always rock my socks 
So all that stuff is hooey about EGCG binding to the DHFR enzyme and rendering it useless for folate intake? I’ve never had a full on biochemistry class, but I think it’s going on my to-do list!
Otts and Ems, at the moment I don’t have any growing because we live in an apartment with no yard, no balcony, no window boxes, and NO sunshine! I take that back, I have a huge pot of basil growing at work, but he doesn’t count as a garden in and of himself 
We’re moving at the end of the month though, and our new landlords may let us have a little plot, about which I am rather ecstatic!! I want to grow garlic, lavender, chamomile, rosemary, dandelion (if they let me, it’s considered a weed), basil, peppermint, motherwort (a great one to use after birth!), ginseng, calendula, and St. [name]John[/name]'s wort (although this one will be potted because it likes to take over). I’d love to grow echinacea, but it doesn’t do well when the roots sit in water. I live in Oregon, so the roots will be in water nine months out of the year!
Ems, nettle leaf tea is fabulous, especially during pregnancy! I’m always cautious to recommend it to a new herb user, because of potential mixup with nettle ROOT tea. (The latter stimulates the uterus, so I don’t recommend it for the first trimester or when there’s a history of miscarriage.) Your soup sounds amazing!
Okay, I need to stop talking now. Where did that lameness thread go? I think my crazy is showing!
Oh, your basil is a HE? Interesting. My basil is not really a plant anymore, it’s a tiny tree I have a mini [name]Italy[/name] in my garden, olive tree and everything. And nettlesoup is delicious!
And I don’t think you’re too badly obsessed, just invested. It’s a good thing when it comes to plants, you need to know and love them.
No, not in humans.
Sessh, I love that you are planning to cultivate dandelions! What a hoot. Tap-roots baby! Quarantine them, along with the motherwort. I would love to have a knot-garden full of herbs, if I ever live where the soil is safe. A knot-garden and a lush, cushiony path of moss to walk barefoot on…
Sorry to distract from the serious biochemical discussion here. All very interesting, but I’m entertaining images of Sessh in her witch’s garden, harvesting medicinal radishes by the waning moon. And Otter with her olive bonsai!
There was one study a few years ago that potentially linked green tea consumption to poor folic acid absorption. Folic acid is particularly important in neural tube development in very early pregnancy. There’s a link below that gives hard numbers from the study, but essentially, if you’re drinking +3 cups a day, maybe up your folic acid intake, whether through food sources or supplement. But this is just one study, and not in any way conclusive.