Effects of Caffeine Consumption by Women and Men on the Outcome of In Vitro Fertilization

In Choi et al.’s  “Effects of Caffeine Consumption by Women and Men on the Outcome of In Vitro Fertilization” article, he reports on the findings of the study performed on couples undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. Previously experimental results were varied, with assumptions that there may exist several biological factors for caffeine to affect conception, some including caffeine may have changes in ovarian functions through the alteration in levels of hormones. Choi’s study was performed through survey questions about the patient’s age, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine use, which ultimately may be proven to be biased and cause a discrepancy in the results. Choi went on to measure the patient’s consumption of coffee in category depending on the amount in mg per week in order to see any correlation between the consumption and the in vitro fertilization. Ultimately, Choi’s study found that there was no correlation in fact between the consumption of caffeine by men and women and the In Vitro fertilization results. In conclusion, Choi et al. acknowledge some of the errors and bias that may have been factors in their analysis and conclusion of the study. Some of these errors include the inaccuracies in self-reporting, the lifestyle factor of each patient, the difficulty faced in quantifying the exact amount of caffeine in caffeinated beverages, etc. While these limitations are present, there still appears to be no significant, major effect on the outcome of In Vitro fertilization.

Source: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/jcr.2011.0001