QuestionHi Brenda
This is my first pregnancy and i just have a couple of questions i was wondering if you could answer for me
Is it ok for me to Dye my hair while i am pregnant? and Is it ok to drink Coca-Cola and if so how much is to much?
Thank you for your time and i hope to hear from you soon
Lisa
AnswerDear Lisa,
There are very few studies of hair dye use during human pregnancy. In animal studies, at doses 100 times higher than what would normally be used in human application, no significant changes were seen in fetal development. We know that only a small amount of any product applied to your scalp is actually absorbed into your system and therefore, little would be available to get to the developing baby. In addition, many women have dyed their hair during pregnancy with no known reports of negative outcomes. This information, in combination with the minimal absorption through the skin makes hair treatment in pregnancy unlikely to be of concern. Now - that's not to say you should probably be dyeing your hair every month through the entire pregnancy, but if you want to dye it a few times, it should not be a big issue.
Plain Coke is ok, in limited amounts. It is the caffeine that is not encouraged. Caffeine is a stimulant and a diuretic. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it increases your blood pressure and heart rate, both of which are not recommended during pregnancy. Caffeine also increases the frequency of urination. This causes reduction in your body fluid levels and can lead to dehydration. Caffeine crosses the placenta to your baby. Although you may be able to handle the amounts of caffeine you feed your body, your baby cannot. Your baby's metabolism is still maturing and cannot fully metabolize the caffeine. Any amount of caffeine can also cause changes in your baby's sleep pattern or normal movement pattern in the later stages of pregnancy. Numerous studies on animals (not humans) have shown that caffeine can cause birth defects, preterm delivery, reduced fertility, and increase the risk of low-birth weight offspring and other reproductive problems.
As an added note - in my experience, women who have ingested more than moderate amounts of caffeine regularly during their pregnancy tend to have the fussiest babies in the nursery.
So - limiting intake of caffeine to moderate levels is the best course of action. The definition of "moderate" varies anywhere from 150-300 mg a day. As an example, a 7-Eleven Big Gulp Coca-Cola (32 oz) would contain approximately 92 mg of caffeine; Dr. Pepper (12 oz) 37 mg; Baker's chocolate (1 oz) 26 mg.
I hope that this information has helped you and answered your questions. I wish you well.
Brenda
