photo by once and future

Let’s say you don’t want kids at this very moment — perhaps you’re like me and scared of breaking children. But don’t forget that you may eventually give in to that whole biological clock thing and want one.

So how about you not screw up your reproductive organs now so that 5 years from now you can pop out some kids? According to some Dutch researchers, who followed 9,000 women who had received In-Vitro Fertilization treatments to see if they would naturally just get pregnatized. The BBC reports that one in every 7 were able to get knocked up but apparently drinking four or more cups of coffee each day cut chances of conceiving by 26 percent. Dude.

Granted, this really just applies to women who already have problems getting knocked up, but if you know you have to deal with it, probably best to wean yourself off the bean, or at least cut your coffee intake. The guy at Starbucks is probably sick of seeing your mug, anyway.

Researchers also found that drinking alcohol at least 3 times weekly would give the same effects… basically, don’t be this person:

The researchers estimated that a 36-year-old woman who smoked, drank too much coffee and alcohol and was overweight, and who had been through three cycles of IVF, would have a 5% chance of a natural pregnancy. If she was a healthy weight and did not smoke or have too much caffeine or alcohol, her chance would be 15%.

Coffee Worsens Poor Fertility {BBC News}