A Study on Miscarriage

A few days ago, Efrat Eichenbaum, a doctoral student at Drexel University, contacted me about a study she is conducting on miscarriage and infant loss. I contacted her advisor and made sure this was legitimate and went through the survey myself. I know many of you would like to see others understand better how devastating miscarriage is, so if you would like to participate, here is the information:

If you have experienced a pregnancy loss (stillbirth or miscarriage) in the past 6 months to 4 years, we want to hear YOUR story. Drexel University is conducting a research study to learn how women healed and moved on from the grief of their loss.

You are eligible if you:

1. Are between the ages of 19 and 50.

2. Live in the United States

3. Identify as either White/Caucasian or Black/African American

4. Experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth any time between October, 2007, and April, 2011.

The study is confidential and secure- your identity and medical information will be not be shared with anyone outside the research team at Drexel University. Your answers will not be linked to your name or identity. The study takes approximately 30-40 minutes to complete, and can be done online or over the phone (you can choose how you want to participate).

As a "thank you," we are offering a choice of a small "care package" (of lotion, chocolate, and tea), or a Dunkin Donuts gift card (both are worth approximately $5) to women who participate. Please email us at drexel.pregnancy.loss@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering for the study. Thank you- we are looking forward to hearing from you soon.

New Research on Miscarriage

I always hesitate to share research on miscarriage causes because I know we survivors beat ourselves up so badly if we can possibly think we did something wrong. However, I also know that we would go to great lengths to do anything that might keep this from happening again, so here goes:

In a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaiser Permanente researchers report that women drinking less than 200mg of caffeine daily were 40% more likely to miscarry than those drinking none. Those drinking more than 200mg were twice as likely to miscarry as those drinking none. The study included over 1000 women and they allowed for differences in morning sickness.

On the other hand, researcher David Savitz, in Epidemiology, reports on a study of over 2000 women in which he found no link between miscarriage and caffeine. He did say the women in his study were light caffeine drinkers.

So where do we go from there?? Okay, 200 mg is about two cups of coffee or five cans of soda. The first study showed that caffeine from any source was a problem - soft drinks, coffee, even hot chocolate. It really upset me that one of the OBs at Kaiser Permanente who was not involved in the study advises women in their first trimester to limit consumption to that 200mg level. Is 40% increased risk acceptable to keep from giving up coffee - I don't think so!

I think it would be far wiser to say, "We have conflicting studies, but while this is resolved, avoid all caffeine. It won't hurt you and it may reduce your risk of miscarriage drastically." And that's my advice. Bye-bye caffeine!