Fertility reduced by caffeine
8 Jun 2011 by Evoluted New Media
Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the Fallopian tubes says an American researcher, who believes he can now explain why women with a high caffeine intake take longer to conceive.
Caffeine reduces muscle activity in the Fallopian tubes says an American researcher, who believes he can now explain why women with a high caffeine intake take longer to conceive.
By studying the Fallopian tubes from mice, Professor Sean Ward from the University of Nevada School of Medicine discovered that caffeine stops the actions of specialised pacemaker cells in the walls of the tube. These cells coordinate muscle contraction – when they are inhibited the egg cannot move down the tubes.
“Our experiments were conducted in mice, but this finding goes a long way towards explaining why drinking caffeinated drinks can reduce a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant,” said Ward.
It was previously assumed that tiny hair-like cilia which line the Fallopian tubes wafted an egg along the tubes, assisted by muscle contractions in the cell walls. However, Ward’s work suggests that these muscle contractions play a bigger role than cilia in moving the egg towards the womb.
“This provides an intriguing explanation as to why women with high caffeine consumption often take longer to conceive than women who do not consume caffeine,” Ward said.
“As well as potentially helping women who are finding it difficult to get pregnant, a better understanding of the way the Fallopian tubes work will help doctors treat pelvic inflammation and sexually-transmitted disease more effectively.”
Ward believes it may also increase our understanding of what causes ectopic pregnancies, where the embryo gets stuck and begins developing in the Fallopian tube.
