Motherhood is probably one of the most intense experiences of a woman’s life. Pregnancy is not a disease but a normal phase in the life of a mother … and a father!
By cons, there is no denying that the process of pregnancy involves major changes in the physiology of the female body. Many mothers who were active before becoming pregnant are wondering if they can continue to exercise, while others settled before fertilization, wonder if they can initiate a practice of regular physical activity.
To understand why exercise is not harmful to the mother, we must realize that for hundreds of thousands of years, the human body has adapted beautifully to the process of gestation, even when the mother was obliged to remain very active. For centuries, even pregnant women were as long as possible to keep working, whether in fields or inside and that work was often very painful.
Consequently, the female body is extremely effective in protecting the fetus: whether the strategic positioning of it in the body of the mother, for the physical protection afforded by the amniotic fluid or physiological mechanisms ensuring stability chemical internal environment of the body and maintaining its temperature. The physical effort and reasonable place in a healthy environment is not detrimental to the embryo or fetus. In fact, the physical effort is also good for pregnant women than any other human being.
Unfortunately, health professionals have traditionally tended to be extremely conservative in relation to pregnancy and physical activity. This situation is changing more and more for the advancement of knowledge in human physiology suggests that the benefits of exercise far outweigh the disadvantages for both mother and child, and that the traditional recommendations were too conservative. Furthermore, studies show that physical activity before and during pregnancy may predispose a pregnancy “easier.” For example, Rudra (2005) has shown that regular physical activity could reduce risk of preeclampsia. Other studies show a decreased incidence of meconium (material in the intestine and expelled the fetus after birth), fewer abnormal fetal heart rate, less entanglement of the umbilical cord and better indices of ‘APGAR (evaluating the general condition of the newborn) in women with physical activity during pregnancy.
Potential risks
The hyperthermia
The main fear engendered by exercise in pregnant women were higher than (normal) body temperature during exercise is harmful to the developing baby. Some scientific evidence (Karzel 1991), a body temperature above 39.2 ° C during the first quarter could be a potential teratogen. ie can induce malformations in the embryo. The embryonic period is known as being particularly sensitive to external influences. In general, the embryos are more sensitive to heat than the fetus and this is due to the rate of high cellular activity during organogenesis. According to the recommendations of most authors, the pregnant women should not be exposed to temperatures likely to increase their body temperature in excess of 39 or 39.5 ° C during the first three months of pregnancy.
The official position of the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine after an exhaustive review of scientific literature on the subject held that women who are allowed to set their own rate of physical activity during pregnancy, the temperature increase is not large enough to harm the child. Moreover, according to a literature review conducted by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology in the development of the guideline on physical activity and pregnancy, no studies on Pregnant women who exercise, has yet demonstrated a teratogenic effect (1) any due to high internal body temperature in early first trimester (SCOG, 2003)
Indeed, the mechanisms of maternal thermoregulation at rest and during exercise, as the evaporation of perspiration, increased ventilation / minute and the redistribution of blood flow to the body surface cancels the potentially thermogenic physical exertion and thus keeps the body temperature below the limit of 39 ° C.
Figure 1: Using a negative feedback system involving the hypothalamus, the human body can maintain a proper temperature, even during physical exertion produces a lot of heat (by action of sweat glands in our example).
It is wise to cons drink before, during and after the exercise session, and avoid exercise during hot weather and / or when the humidity is very high precisely because the mechanisms of thermoregulation mother could be thwarted, which could pose a danger to the embryo. These precautions are even more important during the first three months of pregnancy.
Reduced blood flow to the placenta
During exercise, blood flow is diverted from the viscera to active muscles (shunt blood). This is because working muscles have an increased need for nutrients (such as glucose, oxygen and free fatty acids) content in the blood. One hypothesis is that uterine blood flow is reduced in favor of active muscles, placenta and fetus would receive less oxygen.
For cons, the scientific literature on this subject seems to conclude that this assumption is incorrect and that the phenomenon advance stroke no impact on the health of the baby.
Exercise and fetal distress
The studies in pregnant women who are physically active showed no evidence of fetal distress during exercise.
Pursuit and miscarriage
According to the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine, there are very few studies on the effect of regular physical activity continues in the first quarter, but a prospective study conducted among 158 women who were already form and have continued to exercise at a level above the current guidelines during pregnancy found no significant difference in the frequency of spontaneous abortions, birth defects or other implementation issues.
credit to: Yvan Campbell
Tags: disease, exercise, hyperthermia, physical activity, Pregnancy
