Pregnancy and Childbirth
Fitness After Pregnancy Article
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Research About Exercise During Pregnancy
from: Karlie BestlerResearches about exercise during pregnancy struggle with the pros and cons of exercise during pregnancy. For many years, most physicians recommended moderate activity levels for pregnant women. Then they made a drastic flip and started recommending that pregnant women should continue with their activities, or give up sedentary lifestyles in favor of regular physical exercise, stating that it would facilitate an easier labor and delivery. According to current research about exercise during pregnancy, both were right in some ways.
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development provided $150,000 in grant money to fund a research project designed to determine the accuracy of existing methods of measuring energy expenditure in pregnant women. According to exercise physiologist, James Pivarnik, though there have been improvements in the ability to measure, or estimate, energy expenditure in field settings, most of the research has been done on people who were not pregnant, so there is still much to be learned in research about exercise during pregnancy. Dr. Pivarnik postulates that this research will go a long way in determining the role of physical activity and energy expenditure effects on pregnancy.
Dr. Carole B. Rudra from the University of Washington spearheaded recent research about exercise during pregnancy. This research provided more evidence that engaging in regular physical activity both before and during pregnancy reduces the risk for gestational diabetes, which threatens the health of both mother and baby, and directly correlates to the risk of the mother developing diabetes later in life.
In the study, women who reported very strenuous exertion on a regular basis were 81% less likely to develop gestational diabetes compared with women reporting negligible or minimal exertion. Women reporting moderate regular exertion had a 59% risk reduction compared with women reporting negligible or weak exertion.
Research about exercise during pregnancy conducted by Dr. Richard Feely, M.D., supports the positive benefits of exercise during pregnancy. His research finds that regular exercise during pregnancy may lower the risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia during pregnancy. In the study, 201 women with preeclampsia during pregnancy and 383 women who did not have high blood pressure during pregnancy, took part in the study. The women reported their level of recreational activity, walking, and stair climbing for the periods prior to conception and for the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy was reduced by about 33% in the women who engaged in recreational and physical activities during the year before pregnancy and during early pregnancy. Those women who did not regularly exercise but climbed stairs every day also had a lower risk but to a lesser extent.
A recent study at Case Western Reserve University found a direct correlation in maternal health and exercise during pregnancy. The study also noted a definitive correlation in the health of the babies of mothers who did or did not exercise as well.
In summary, research about exercise during pregnancy supports the belief that expectant mothers should continue suitable forms of exercise throughout pregnancy, provided there are no prohibitive medical conditions to not exercise.
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