Pregnancy in women athletes

• April 29, 2024

If you are a woman athletic you want get pregnant or it already is, keep in mind the opinion of an expert. It's about the doctor Thomas Reilly , Director of the Institute for Research in Sports Science and Exercise of the University John Moores of Liverpool (England). Studies conducted by Dr. Reilly's team confirm that pregnancy itself does not prohibit sports practice and, in almost all cases, there is no problem for women to continue with their training routines during pregnancy. Moreover, the evidence is tilted in favor of exercise in pregnancies not complicated, both the mother and the baby being beneficiaries.

An investigation at the University Hospital of Liverpool, London, showed that the gradual maternal exercise during pregnancy it has a favorable effect on the blood flow of the fetus. During the study, the flow was monitored and measured while the mother exercised on a stationary bicycle in a lying position. Preliminary results indicated that the exercise could improve fetal circulation more than bed rest, which would benefit the fetus. The conclusion of these observations indicated that exercise should be recommended in healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies. However, says the expert, there are clearly several activities that are not advisable, as is avoiding exercise when there is a lot of heat. Runners who take training seriously should reduce it only if they feel discomfort due to gait disturbances, and extra body weight to be moved against gravity. Signs of danger include pain, bleeding, rupture of membranes, and absence of fetal movements.

• Athletes and pregnancy

According to Reilly, there have been cases of elite athletes who have competed while pregnant and who have even won medals in the Olympic Games. As an example, quote the North American marathoner Karen Cosgrove who completed a marathon in 2 hours 46 minutes in her first month of pregnancy; He even maintained a training load of 100-130 kilometers per week until the ninth month. One day before giving birth, Cosgrove performed 60 minutes of exercise on an exercise bike the day before giving birth to her 3-kilogram 350-gram baby, which surely helped her to be born without complications. Although each case is different, says the expert, many women they return to their workouts shortly after childbirth and cites Mary Slaney, an American runner who resumed her activities within the first week after childbirth, and Liz McColgan, an athlete of Scottish origin, who won a medal at the Cross-Country World Championship five months after giving Light to his first daughter and four months later he won the world title on the track at 10 thousand meters.

In spite of the obvious alterations due to the schedules of breastfeeding baby , or changes in the feeding and hydration of the mother, there are numerous examples of female athletes who return to serious competition within 6 months after delivery. Some even become better athletes once they have formed their families, says Reilly.

Video Medicine: 10 Athletes Who Got Their Mistresses Pregnant (April 2024).