Green Tea and Pregnancy: The Side Effects

Green tea is known worldwide as one of the best, maybe even the only herbal plant that is able to cure and prevent cancer and other difficult illnesses that we humans are so susceptible to.  But although it has many effective healing properties and is known to have a lot of benefits, drinking green tea may actually be a bad idea when experiencing pregnancy.

Scientists have discovered reasons and side effects that green tea can cause when a woman is pregnant or for women who want to conceive.  Green tea and pregnancy don’t work together because the former can actually reduce the effectiveness of folic acid, which is very essential in order to prevent neural tube defects during the first month of conception in pregnant women.  The best time to take green tea again would be after the first trimester, which is 1-3 months after conception. 

Yes, green tea is reputed to have many health benefits and is even one of the leading solutions for prevention of cancer, but green tea and pregnancy shouldn’t go hand-in-hand because of the anti-oxidants and all the active elements in the green tea leaves, which has the potential of absorbing a lot of body folate, thus endangering the development of the baby. 

Though many companies that produce green tea products have come up with solutions for green tea and pregnancy, it is still advisable to consult your doctor before taking green tea while experiencing pregnancy.  The newer green tea products and supplements are claimed to contain herbs that are safe for consumption, but we cannot let our guard down as it may endanger the life of the baby when we least expect it.  It is best to avoid green tea during pregnancy even if it contains a lot of nutrients that are good for the body.   

There are other alternatives for green tea that also promotes good health, especially when experiencing pregnancy.  Some of these include:
Peppermint leaves, which helps in improving and strengthening the uterus, increases milk production, and helps reduce labor pains.  This is most advisable only after the first trimester.
Red Raspberry leaves, which helps in reducing nausea and flatulence.  Lemon balms, which is a leaf that is known to have a calming effect which helps pregnant women from becoming anxious or insomniac. 

There are a lot of instances when pregnant women experience negative effects when they drink caffeine or tea while going through their pregnancy, so as much as possible both drinks should be avoided despite their anti-oxidants and healing properties.  Though it may seem harmless, many doctors and scientists have discouraged pregnant women to take in anything that has caffeine content. 

Green tea is a lot better than caffeine, but as mentioned before it has the ability to absorb the folic acid in the body and therefore should be avoided as well.  If you really cannot help but want to drink green tea, make sure you drink it after the first trimester to ensure that your baby will still be healthy.  Regulate the amount of green tea taken for the sake of precaution.