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So – You have heard that green tea can have an affect on fertilty… but what kind of affect?

Some research indicates that drinking green tea increases fertilty.

“In a study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California in Oakland, researchers found that women who drank more than one half cup of caffeinated green tea every day doubled their odds of conceiving. No significant association was found for other caffeinated beverages; therefore researchers concluded that a chemical component of tea other than caffeine might have been responsible for the increase in fertility. “

On the flip side of this coin, other research indicates that green tea can have a negative impact on conception:

Some studies show that green tea can decrease the efectiveness of folic acid, which is a vital nutrient for developing embryos, although eating folate rich greens and/or taking a folic acid supplement seems to curb these kinds of affects.

“The main reason for researchers advising against drinking green tea during pregnancy is because as we all know green tea is rich in antioxidants and definitely has lot of benefits relating to dental health, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and weight loss, but scientist have made a discovery after examining the active constituent of the green tea, the epigallocatechins and that it may affect the way the body absorbs folate. “

To drink it… or not to drink it… that is the question:

So – Should you drink it while trying to conceive, or while pregnant?

The truth of the matter is green tea and fertility do not go hand in hand. It is proven that individuals who have healthy diets tend to be able to conceive more easily than those who do not, although fertilty issues are obviously not soley linked to this.  Whether you do, or do not drink green tea, in my unprofessional opinion will not determine your abilty to conceive, however, like anything else all things should be consumed in moderation.  Green tea DOES contain caffiene, so drinking liters upon liters of it a day may not be the best thing for you if you are pregnant. One or two cups however, is definately not something to concern yourself with.

There *are* certain herbs and teas however, that do not contain caffeine that are said to improve fertility… I have not found scientific studies to back these up, but giving them a try will definately not hurt. You can consider them ‘old wise woman’ tales if you will… but you never know…

Herbs to try that are believed to promote fertilty:

Peppermint                Red Clover         Raspberry Leaves