Is teem bitter lemon good for pregnant woman?

Is teem bitter lemon good for pregnant woman? Is teem drink good for a pregnant woman?

www.nimedhealth.com.ng writes:

It is no longer news that many women crave bitter lemon during pregnancy… How safe is teem bitter lemon in pregnancy? Let us look at the effect of bitter lemon on pregnancy…

First let me take you through the ingredients that make up teem bitter lemon drink… You will see that it contains quinine.

Teem bitter lemon carbonated beverage contains:

Carbonated water,

Sugar,

Citric Acid,

Gum Arabic,

Sodium Benzoate,

Ester Gum,

Lemon Flavour,

Quinine,

Caramel.

Quinine though has antimalarial properties, is not safe in pregnancy and therefore quinine containing drinks like Schweppes, bitter lemon krest and teem bitter lemon should be avoided as much as possible in pregnancy.

Quinine has quinidine like effect on the heart and can cause congenital heart defects and even stop the heart of an inborn baby leading to stillbirth.

Teem bitter lemon containing quinine is used by some women for unsafe abortion and flush out sperm …. Quinine is believed to cause uterine contraction and expulsion of the product of conception…with this effect on the womb, it is convenient to say women who take teem bitter lemon during pregnancy may have a miscarriage and suffer pregnancy complications like pregnancy loss, low birth weight, congenital malformations of the foetus and even still birth….but this is not proven.

It is therefore better to avoid teem bitter lemon during pregnancy period… No doubt teem bitter lemon is a good drink that gives energy and can be used for malaria treatment but it must be avoided during pregnancy… Pregnant women should not drink teem bitter lemon, lemon drink or any quinine containing soft drink please.

Quinine-containing beverages like krest bitter lemon, Schweppes bitter lemon, soda water,
teem bitter lemon etc are popular thirst quenchers because of their slightly bitter taste. Larger amounts are consumed particularly in the rainy months also by pregnant women. Furthermore, there are recommendations posted on the Internet expressly advising pregnant women to drink quinine-containing beverages in order to counteract nocturnal calf muscle cramp or early morning sickness or malaria . By contrast, www.nimedhealth.com.ng advice to pregnant women to avoid quinine-containing beverages on precautionary grounds….

People including pregnant women who are advised against taking quinine by their doctors because of specific clinical pictures like tinnitus, pre-existing damage to the optic nerve, certain types of haemolytic anaemia or oversensitivity to cinchona alkaloids should refrain from consuming quinine-containing foods. Anyone who suffers from cardiac arrhythmia or takes medicinal products which interact with quinine like anticoagulant medicines, should only drink quinine-containing lemonades after consulting her doctor.

Some health care providers believe quinine containing soft drinks like teem bitter lemon is good and safe for pregnant women since it acts as malarial prophylaxis but I strongly advise against it… There are many safe malaria medications out there that will not harm your unborn baby.

As a pregnant woman, if possible, avoid teem bitter lemon. The controversy surrounding intake of quinine in pregnancy is enough reason to avoid quinine containing drinks and foods.

Thank you.

This article is the intellectual property of www.nimedhealth.com.ng