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Scientists have found that heavy exercise could raise the risk of a woman suffering a miscarriage during pregnancy. Danish researchers found that a number of different forms of exercise, from racquet sports to jogging, trebled one’s risk of a miscarriage. These findings come as a bit of a surprise given that most doctors and health advisors encourage exercise among pregnant women in order to prevent excessive weight gain and the onset of high blood pressure.

The researchers at the University of Southern Denmark surveyed 90,000 women on their exercise regimes and the progress of their pregnancies. Not only were women who played ‘high impact’ sports such as ball games more likely to suffer a miscarriage, but those who exercised for more than seven and a half hours a week were subject to a similar risk as well. However, the relationship between exercise and miscarriage risks reduced significantly after the first eighteen weeks of pregnancy. Commenting in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the scientists undertaking the survey stated:

“The results of this study suggest that leisure time exercise during pregnancy, and particularly high-impact exercise, is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage in the early stage of pregnancy.”

However, critics of the survey have been quick to suggest that the methods employed during the survey were fundamentally flawed. The study required women to recall the amount of exercise they undertook during the survey. However, the scientists had no way of corroborating the information provided to them by their subjects. In addition, women’s advocates have argued that such findings could inadvertently have an adverse impact on the health of pregnant women. In particular, critics argue that a lack of exercise could lead to high obesity rates among pregnant women. This in turn would have an adverse effect on the health of unborn children. According to Alison Merry from the organisation, Blooming Fit, which plans exercise and fitness programs for pregnant women,

“The benefits of exercising during pregnancy are clear – it improves the cardiovascular system, and maintains muscle tone. While I would say that getting a hockey ball in the stomach is not a good idea, I can’t think of any reason why jogging would be harmful.”

She encouraged women to engage in activities such as swimming – this form of exercise has been shown to have particular benefits for pregnant women.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 9:30 pm and is filed under Health, Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.