When estimating caffeine in pregnancy, count everything you consume in a day—not just coffee. Tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate and some medicines can all add to your total. A useful benchmark is 200 mg per day, but official advice differs by region, and the amount in a serving can vary considerably.
How to estimate caffeine in pregnancy
Use the figures below as rough estimates, not exact product values. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) notes that caffeine content and portion sizes vary between products and countries.
- Filter coffee, 200 mL (about 6.8 fl oz): around 90 mg
- Espresso, 60 mL (about 2 fl oz): around 80 mg
- Black tea, 220 mL (about 7.4 fl oz): around 50 mg
- Cola, 355 mL (12 fl oz): around 40 mg
- Energy drink, 250 mL (about 8.5 fl oz): around 80 mg
- Plain chocolate, 50 g (about 1.8 oz): around 25 mg; milk chocolate of the same weight: around 10 mg
Preparation, brand and serving size matter. A large café coffee may not match the estimate for a 200 mL filter coffee, and tea can vary too. Check product packaging or the café’s nutrition information when available. Some medicines also contain caffeine; check the package or ask a pharmacist to help identify it.
How the daily advice compares
There is no single global limit. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises keeping intake below 200 mg a day. EFSA’s assessment says up to 200 mg per day from all sources, spread across the day, raises no safety concern for the fetus. The World Health Organization recommends less than 300 mg per day. These figures are different recommendations, not proof that intake below a particular number guarantees a healthy outcome.
For UK readers, EFSA’s 200 mg figure is a European food-safety assessment, not by itself a separate UK national recommendation. Check current NHS or maternity-service guidance for local advice. The Australian threshold is not established by the guidance described here, so check Australian government or maternity-service advice rather than assuming that the US, EU or WHO figure is the local rule.
Add up the whole day, not just your coffee
Write down each serving and its estimated milligrams, then add them. For example, one 200 mL filter coffee (about 90 mg), a cup of black tea (about 50 mg), a can of cola (about 40 mg) and 50 g of milk chocolate (about 10 mg) total roughly 190 mg. That is close to a 200 mg benchmark, even though the drinks alone may not seem like much.
Include energy drinks, cocoa-based products and any caffeine-containing medicine or supplement. For packaged products, use the stated amount if available; otherwise, the estimates are only a guide. If you have several coffees or large servings, measuring the volume for a day or two can make your estimate more realistic.
What a limit can—and cannot—tell you
Guidelines offer a practical ceiling, but research cannot give a precise risk prediction for an individual pregnancy. ACOG’s 2010 committee opinion says moderate intake below 200 mg per day does not appear to be a major contributing factor in miscarriage or preterm birth; it also says the relationship with restricted fetal growth remains undetermined. A 2025 review by Struniewicz and colleagues describes human findings as mixed and notes that studies differ in how they measure caffeine intake. The limit is therefore a way to manage exposure, not a guarantee or a diagnosis.
If you are unsure how much caffeine is in a medicine, use a supplement, or have questions about your personal circumstances, ask your clinician or pharmacist. They can help you check the product and interpret the advice that applies where you live.