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Study Shows exercise is Healthy For Mother and baby during pregnancy
Source: Science Daily News Date: 9/1/09
Physicians should recommend low to moderate levels of exercise to their pregnant patients, even if they have not exercised prior to pregnancy, states a report published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American
Academy
of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS). According to this review article,
exercise can strengthen and improve overall musculoskeletal and
physiologic health as well as pregnancy related symptoms. Exercise such
as aerobics, impact and nonimpact activities, resistance training and
swimming:
• eases back and other musculoskeletal pain;
• lowers maternal blood pressure;
• reduces swelling; and
• improves post-partum mood, including sadness.
According
to study author Capt. Marlene DeMaio, M.D., M.C ., U.S.N., Research
Director, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia, data shows that
the pregnant woman’s body can compensate for the changes with no harm
to the fetus during low to moderate intensity exercise.
“It
is important to remember that pregnancy is a temporary condition, not a
disease, and that the musculoskeletal and physiologic changes that
happen are normal in the majority of patients,” she said.
Capt.
DeMaio’s findings contradict what some physicians recommended in the
past. As recently as the 1990s, there was concern that exercise could
be detrimental to a pregnant woman and her fetus. These past concerns
included a focus on normal changes related to musculoskeletal health
that occur during pregnancy, such as increased ligament laxity, weight
gain and change in the center of gravity. Today, some physicians
continue to advise their pregnant patients to ease back on exercise or
refrain from it altogether if they have not already made it a part of
their lifestyle.
DeMaio,
who collaborated with Capt. Everett Magann, M.D., M.C. U.S.N., Chairman
in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, also at the Naval
Medical Center in Portsmouth, not only reports that exercise is
important during pregnancy, but also believes that starting an exercise
program when pregnant, is a perfect way to begin – and stick with – a
fitness program.
“When
a woman becomes pregnant, she often re-evaluates her lifestyle,” said
Dr. DeMaio. “She is motivated in a new way to deliver a healthy baby,
and be healthy herself.” Physicians may recommend exercise for pregnant
patients in the following categories:
• Prenatal:
Patients should begin or continue low to moderate exercise. The goal is
to maintain fitness and adapt exercise as needed as pregnancy
progresses. (For example, runners might switch to running in a swimming
pool later in their pregnancy.)
• Postnatal:
Continue exercising at low to moderate levels. Lactation is not
negatively affected by exercise. There are fewer reports of mothers
having post-partum depression or mood changes when they are exercising.
• Older:
Exercise is even more important if the patient is older, according to
Dr. DeMaio. The risk for high blood pressure and increased glucose goes
up the older a patient is, but exercise can help reduce these levels.
• Obese:
Physicians should discuss pregnancy as an opportunity to improve
overall health and suggest the patient start exercise for life-long
health and as an example to the child when the child is older.
• Infertile: Even if a woman is under treatment for infertility, she can exercise under the supervision of her obstetrician.
• Athlete:
For a pregnant woman wanting more strenuous exercise, or who wants to
increase training from moderate to high intensity, a qualified doctor
should direct her exercise program.
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