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Findings of this study show the ideal amount of exercise for pregnant women is three or four times a week. Women who exercised too strenuously or too often during the last trimester of pregnancy had a four times greater risk of giving birth to a low birth weight baby. In addition, women who exercised less than three times a week doubled their risk of having a low birth weight baby. Low birth weight in babies has been linked to higher risk of health problems for the child.
This study was published in the February issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study included over 500 women who were asked to fill out a questionnaire after giving birth. Questions were asked about their level of activity throughout the pregnancy. The researches then compared the findings of the questionnaires with the birth weights of the babies carried by these women.
The researchers have many theories of why too much exercise may contribute to low birth weight. One of these is the idea that strenuous exercise may draw blood to the muscles of the women during exercise and away from the fetus, which could lessen the oxygen and nutrients to the baby.
The study also found that the level of activity of the mother prior to pregnancy was not a factor in her chances of having a low birth weight baby. Women who were sedentary seemed to benefit from starting moderate exercise, and women who had exercised strenuously before pregnancy still ran the risk of a low birth weight baby if they did not decrease their level of activity to moderate.
The message here is that if you didn't exercise before pregnancy, this would be a good time to start a moderate routine. If you exercised vigorously before, this is definitely a time to slow down.
Source: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2001,184:403-408. |
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