Eli Reshef, MD

The Website of Eli Reshef, MD

  • Home
  • About
    • Dr. Reshef’s Bio
    • Why Choose Reshef?
  • FAQ
  • Educate Me!
    • Ectopic Pregnancy
    • Endometriosis
    • Egg Donation
    • Fibroids
    • Infertility
    • Insemination (Artificial)
    • In Vitro Fertilization
      • The IVF Journey
    • Male Factor Infertility
    • Menopause
    • Menstrual Disorders
    • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (POCS)
    • Recurrent Pregnancy Losses
    • Unexplained Infertility
  • Contact
    • Directions
  • Links
You are here: Home / Mercury in Tuna and Pregnancy / Exercising While Pregnant Is Almost Always A Good Idea

Exercising While Pregnant Is Almost Always A Good Idea

March 22, 2017 By Eli Reshef

KATHERINE HOBSON, NPR,  March 21, 2017 (http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/21/520951610/exercising-while-pregnant-is-almost-always-a-good-idea)

Being pregnant can sometimes feel like traversing a minefield of advice: You want to do the right thing for your baby and yourself, but conflicting input from physicians, relatives, friends and even total strangers makes it difficult to know exactly what is helpful and what is potentially harmful.

A group of researchers want women to know that when it comes to exercise, there is a strong consensus of benefit for both the mother and developing fetus.

“Within reason, with adequate cautions, it’s important for [everyone] to get over this fear,” says Alejandro Lucia, a professor of exercise physiology at the European University of Madrid, an author of the viewpoint published Tuesday in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which updated its recommendations in 2015, women without major medical or obstetric complications should get at least 20 to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise — enough to get you moving, while still being able to carry on a conversation — on most days of the week. A study published last fall suggests that most women weren’t meeting that recommendation, even when active transport, like walking 10 minutes to the store, was included.

 For a long time, the belief was that if you weren’t already exercising regularly, pregnancy wasn’t a good time to start, Lucia says. No longer. Now the evidence suggests that it’s actually a good time to begin adding physical activity — it can provide health benefits, and pregnancy may be a time when women are particularly open to positive behavior change. Obviously, though, if you’re new to exercise, take it slowly — you can work up to that 20 or 30 minutes.

The authors say physical activity can prevent excessive weight gain, which can complicate the pregnancy and contribute to obesity. A review of existing research published in 2015 by the Cochrane Library found “high-quality evidence” that exercise during pregnancy can help prevent gaining too much weight, and may possibly lower the likelihood of a cesarean section, breathing problems in newborns, maternal hypertension and a baby that is significantly bigger than average. And of course, exercise promotes general cardiovascular and muscular health.

Even many women with chronic high blood pressure, gestational diabetes or who are overweight or obese should be encouraged to exercise, the researchers say.

But there are women who need to be careful with exercise or avoid it. According to the ACOG guidelines, women should avoid aerobic exercise if they have significant heart disease, persistent bleeding in the second or third trimester, severe anemia and risk of premature labor, among other conditions. And certain symptoms, such as contractions or dizziness during exercise, should be checked out ASAP.

The bottom line is that women need to make a plan with their physician, taking into account their exercise history, their health, and the risk of pregnancy complications, says James Pivarnik, a professor of kinesiology and epidemiology at Michigan State University. He wasn’t an author of the viewpoint but has conducted research on exercise and pregnancy.

So how much is too much? Moderation is the goal. The worry is that too-intense exercise might lead to dehydration and divert blood flow to the muscles instead of the placenta. So the viewpoint recommends avoiding exercise that makes your heart pump at 90 percent or more of its maximum beats per minute.

It also recommends against long distance running, more from caution than extensive evidence, and against frequent heavy weight lifting, because it may involve what’s called the Valsalva maneuver. (That’s what you do when you close your mouth, pinch your nose and try to expel air, like you do when you’re popping your ears.) ACOG also recommends against contact sports, hot yoga, and exercises done in the supine position, i.e. lying face up, starting in the second trimester.

The upper limits of exercise in trained, elite athletes while pregnant aren’t known, Pivarnik notes, nor is the optimal amount in any individual women. After all, there are anecdotal reports of women who complete running races while pregnant and have perfectly healthy babies.

Among the general population and pregnant women specifically, people will respond differently to an exercise program. “But we know if you do the kind of things they’re talking about here, the odds are your risk will be lower,” he says.

Katherine Hobson is a freelance health and science writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Related

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Meet Dr. Eli Reshef

The other day, another physician asked me if I had to start all over again, would I still become a physician and would I still choose Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility as my sub-specialty. I answered with a resounding “yes”. I feel very fortunate to get up every morning looking forward to going to work. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to help people every day, that is every day, including weekends and holidays. Read More About Me Here-

Dr. Reshef's Most Popular Posts

  • Latest
  • Popular
  • Point of View: Big downside to premature return to “normal”
  • Thousands of eggs, embryos possibly damaged at Ohio hospital
  • YOUR EMBRYOS ARE SAFE!
  • Employers Who Wish to Retain Staff Should Consider Having Infertility Benefit
  • Older Men’s Sperm: Worse for the Wear?
  • Today Week Month All
  • OKC Doctor: Planned Parenthood defunding would curtail reproductive care options
  • There is no "baby deadline" test!
  • What You Really Need to Know About Egg Freezing
  • Vitamin D Deficiency- Is There Really a Pandemic?
  • Older Men’s Sperm: Worse for the Wear?
Ajax spinner

Post Archive

  • May 2020
  • March 2018
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012

Contact Dr. Eli Reshef

  • We love people, not bots. Please select "Yes, I am Human" from the drop down below.

Recent Posts

  • Point of View: Big downside to premature return to “normal”
  • Thousands of eggs, embryos possibly damaged at Ohio hospital
  • YOUR EMBRYOS ARE SAFE!
  • Employers Who Wish to Retain Staff Should Consider Having Infertility Benefit
  • Older Men’s Sperm: Worse for the Wear?
  • Subfertility May be Harbinger of Disease Later in Life
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Eli Reshef, MD

3433 NW 56th Street, Suite 210-B
Oklahoma CIty , OK 73112
Phone: (405) 945-4701

Post Calendar

March 2021
M T W T F S S
« May    
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  

Copyright © 2021 · Eli Reshef, MD. All Rights Reserved.