Does Matcha Make You Infertile? What the Evidence Actually Says

By Luke Alcock — Founder, Uji Matcha Tea · Osaka, Japan

If you’re trying to conceive and you drink matcha, you may have come across the claim that it can make you infertile. It’s a worrying thing to read, so here is the direct answer first: we found no good evidence that matcha, or green tea in general, causes infertility in women or men. What the research does raise are two narrower questions that are worth taking seriously while you are trying for a baby and in early pregnancy — how much caffeine you take in, and whether large amounts of green tea compounds could interfere with folate.

This article walks through both, sets out what national health bodies recommend, and explains when it makes sense to talk to a doctor. It is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for a conversation with your own clinician.

Where the infertility worry comes from

The concern usually traces back to two things. The first is caffeine. Matcha is a powdered tea: you whisk the whole leaf into water and drink it, rather than steeping leaves and throwing them away. That means more caffeine per cup than ordinary brewed green tea, and caffeine has long been studied in relation to fertility and miscarriage.

The second is catechins, the family of plant compounds that green tea is known for, especially EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). Laboratory studies have found that tea catechins can inhibit dihydrofolate reductase, an enzyme the body uses to process folate. Folate matters enormously around conception, because it helps prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida in the first weeks of pregnancy — often before a pregnancy test is positive.

Neither of those is the same as “matcha makes you infertile.” The first is a question of dose. The second is a question of timing and absorption. Here is what the evidence says about each.

Caffeine and fertility: what the research shows

The largest body of evidence looks at caffeine from all sources — mostly coffee — rather than at matcha specifically. No large study has looked at matcha and fertility on its own, so the honest position is that we are extrapolating from caffeine and green tea research.

Getting pregnant

A 2017 systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis in Clinical Epidemiology pooled the studies on coffee or caffeine and fecundity (how quickly people conceive). The authors reported no consistent association between caffeine intake and fecundability, while noting that this rested on only a few studies. A large Danish cohort of women planning a pregnancy, published in Epidemiology in 2012, likewise found little association between caffeine intake and time to pregnancy; the clearer signal in that study was with soda (slightly stronger for sugar-sweetened soda), not with tea or coffee.

For men, a 2017 systematic review in Nutrition Journal found the evidence on caffeine and semen quality inconsistent, with some studies suggesting a possible negative effect and others finding none. In plain terms: the research does not support the idea that a moderate caffeine habit, from matcha or anything else, makes men or women infertile — but it does not rule out effects at high intakes either.

Early pregnancy

The evidence is more cautious once a pregnancy has begun. A 2016 meta-analysis of prospective studies in Public Health Nutrition reported that higher caffeine intake during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of pregnancy loss, with risk rising as intake rose. And the LIFE Study, which followed couples from before conception, reported in 2016 in Fertility and Sterility that drinking more than two caffeinated beverages a day in the weeks around conception — by either partner — was associated with a higher risk of miscarriage.

These are observational studies. They show associations, not proof that caffeine caused the outcome, and they can be affected by other factors (for example, people with healthier pregnancies often have more nausea and drink less coffee). But they are the reason health bodies set a caffeine ceiling for pregnancy, and the reason many clinicians suggest people trying to conceive keep within it too.

What health bodies recommend

The guidance is consistent across the major bodies, which is reassuring in itself:

• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2015): caffeine intakes of up to 200 mg a day from all sources do not raise safety concerns for the fetus in pregnant women. For other healthy adults, EFSA considers up to 400 mg a day.
• NHS (UK): limit caffeine to 200 mg a day in pregnancy, and take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily from before you conceive until 12 weeks of pregnancy.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Committee Opinion 462: moderate caffeine consumption, under 200 mg a day, does not appear to be a major contributing factor in miscarriage or preterm birth.
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): anyone who could become pregnant should take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day.

None of these bodies advises avoiding green tea or matcha altogether while trying to conceive. What they ask is that you count your caffeine, and that you take folic acid.

How much caffeine is in a bowl of matcha?

Matcha’s caffeine depends mostly on how much powder you use. Figures from our matcha caffeine guide:

So a single light bowl of usucha leaves plenty of room under a 200 mg ceiling. Two large café lattes, or matcha on top of a coffee habit, can use most of it. Remember the other sources that count: coffee, black and green tea, cola, energy drinks, chocolate and some medicines. Measuring your powder on a small scale gives far more consistent numbers than a teaspoon.

Matcha, catechins and folate

This is the part of the question that is most often overstated, so it is worth being precise.

The laboratory finding is real: tea catechins, including EGCG, can inhibit dihydrofolate reductase in test-tube studies. The human evidence is much thinner. A small pharmacokinetic study in healthy volunteers, published in 2008 in Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition, found that drinking green tea alongside a folic acid dose lowered the amount of folic acid that reached the bloodstream. That study looked at absorption of a single dose, not at folate status over months, and it did not measure fertility or pregnancy outcomes.

We are not aware of good evidence that moderate tea drinking causes folate deficiency or neural tube defects in people who take folic acid as recommended. But because folate matters so much in the very first weeks, two simple precautions cost nothing:

• Take your folic acid supplement as your doctor or national guidance advises — 400 micrograms a day is the standard advice before conception.
• Take it at a different time from your matcha. Our matcha and pregnancy guide suggests a gap of one to two hours, which is a reasonable working rule while the evidence is limited.

Avoid concentrated green tea extract supplements while trying to conceive or pregnant unless a clinician recommends them. They deliver far more catechins than a bowl of tea, and they are not the same thing as drinking matcha.

A sensible way to drink matcha while trying to conceive

• Plan around 200 mg of caffeine a day from all sources, and use the table above to fit matcha in.
• Make lighter bowls. One gram of powder whisked as usucha is a lovely cup and keeps caffeine low. Our everyday Organic Uji Matcha Classic Blend and the Organic Japanese Matcha from Shizuoka are both made for usucha and lattes, so they work well at a light dose.
• Keep matcha to earlier in the day. Caffeine stays active for hours, and EFSA notes that pregnancy slows how fast the body clears it.
• Choose tea you can trace. Because you drink the whole leaf, origin and certification matter more than with steeped tea. JAS organic certification tells you how the tea was grown; you can compare our options in the full matcha collection.
• Pause if it doesn’t agree with you. Nausea, reflux, poor sleep or palpitations are all good reasons to cut back.

When to talk to a doctor

Speak with your doctor, midwife or fertility specialist if:

• you have been trying to conceive for 12 months without success, or for six months if you are 35 or older — the point at which the American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends an evaluation;
• you have had a previous pregnancy loss, or you are having fertility treatment, where your clinic may set its own caffeine advice;
• you have been told you have low folate or anemia, or you take medication that affects folate;
• you have high blood pressure, a heart-rhythm condition or strong caffeine sensitivity;
• you are unsure how much caffeine you are actually taking in. A week’s list of everything you drink is a useful thing to bring to an appointment.

And if you would simply rather not drink caffeine while trying for a baby, that is a perfectly reasonable choice. Matcha is a pleasure, not a necessity.

Frequently asked questions

Does matcha cause infertility?

We found no good evidence that it does. Reviews of caffeine and fertility have not found a consistent link at moderate intakes, and no study has shown that matcha or green tea causes infertility in women or men. The sensible precautions are to keep total caffeine around 200 mg a day and to take folic acid as advised.

Can I drink matcha while trying to get pregnant?

For most people, a light daily bowl fits within the 200 mg caffeine ceiling that EFSA, the NHS and ACOG use for pregnancy. Count all your caffeine sources, and check with your clinician if you have a history of pregnancy loss or are having fertility treatment.

Does matcha block folic acid?

Laboratory studies show green tea catechins can inhibit an enzyme involved in folate processing, and one small human study found green tea reduced absorption of a folic acid dose. There is no good evidence that moderate tea drinking causes folate deficiency, but taking your supplement at a different time from your matcha is an easy precaution.

Does matcha affect male fertility?

The research on caffeine and sperm quality is inconsistent and mostly about coffee. There is no good evidence that moderate matcha drinking harms male fertility; the LIFE Study did, however, link heavier caffeine intake by either partner around conception with a higher risk of miscarriage, so moderation applies to both partners.

Sources

1. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal 2015;13(5):4102.
2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Committee Opinion No. 462: Moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology 2010;116(2 Pt 1):467–468 (reaffirmed).
3. NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy (caffeine); Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy (folic acid). nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/ and nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/vitamins-and-supplements-in-pregnancy/. Accessed 28 October 2026.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About folic acid. cdc.gov/folic-acid/about/. Accessed 28 October 2026.
5. Lyngsø J, Ramlau-Hansen CH, Bay B, et al. Association between coffee or caffeine consumption and fecundity and fertility: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Clinical Epidemiology 2017;9:699–719.
6. Hatch EE, Wise LA, Mikkelsen EM, et al. Caffeinated beverage and soda consumption and time to pregnancy. Epidemiology 2012;23(3):393–401.
7. Ricci E, Viganò P, Cipriani S, et al. Coffee and caffeine intake and male infertility: a systematic review. Nutrition Journal 2017;16:37.
8. Chen LW, Wu Y, Neelakantan N, et al. Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and risk of pregnancy loss: a categorical and dose–response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Public Health Nutrition 2016;19(7):1233–1244.
9. Buck Louis GM, Sapra KJ, Schisterman EF, et al. Lifestyle and pregnancy loss in a contemporary cohort of women recruited before conception: the LIFE Study. Fertility and Sterility 2016;106(1):180–188.
10. Alemdaroglu NC, Dietz U, Wolffram S, et al. Influence of green and black tea on folic acid pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers: potential risk of diminished folic acid bioavailability. Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition 2008;29(6):335–348.
11. Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Definitions of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss: a committee opinion. Fertility and Sterility 2020;113(3):533–535.

This article is general information and is not medical advice. Always follow the guidance of your own doctor, midwife or fertility specialist.