Dec 8, 2008 8:20 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: Pregnancy And Exercise
Study: Overdoing It Physically Can Only Hurt Both Parties
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Exercise during pregnancy has countless benefits, from preventing excess weight gain, to cutting down on aches and pains. However, a new study shows that too much of a good thing could lead to problems for both mother and baby.
Seventeen weeks pregnant with her third baby, Nana Sato knows the worries of gaining too much weight.
"My first pregnancy I was exercising pretty much every day," Sato said.
But this time around she put the brakes on too much cardio workout time.
"Chasing two kids is my exercise," Sato said.
A new study says she is on the right track. Researchers found that excessive exercise could put mom and baby at serious risk. More than an hour a day increased the chance of developing life-threatening "pre-eclampsia."
It's a condition which dangerously raises mom's blood pressure, and decreases the blood supply to the baby.
"Pre-eclampsia is the major problem that we have in obstetrics," said Dr. Jacques Moritz of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital. "It's very dangerous. People can die from pre-eclampsia."
The Scandinavian study found that women who exercised more than seven hours a week were 78 percent more likely to get pre-eclampsia.
A half hour a day of moderate exercise is recommended during pregnancy. If you can't carry on a conversation while exercising you are overdoing it.
"One of the best exercises in pregnancy is swimming because there's no pressure on your joints," Dr. Moritz said. "It's enough exercise and usually you don't get short of breath."
Pre-eclampsia affects 1 in every 14 pregnancies. Doctors say good prenatal care, which regularly monitors the mother's blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat, is critical.
And Sato believes when it comes to a healthy pregnancy everything, including exercise, should come in moderation.
If you were following a regular exercise program before becoming pregnant, you should be able to keep up that program to some degree for your first couple of trimesters.
Exercise does not increase your risk for miscarriage.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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