Doing sports during pregnancy is possible! Certain sports can be practiced during pregnancy and will allow you to be fit and healthy. Adrien Gaudineau, an expert in gynecology and obstetrics, explains to expectant mothers which sports they can practice... or not!
Rest is bad for pregnancy
Maintaining reasonable physical activity is always recommended during pregnancy. The latest recommendations of the French National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians are making bed rest difficult! And twist the neck at the idea that rest would be desirable for the pregnant woman. In most published scientific studies, rest is indeed not associated with a decrease in prematurity, even if the cervix is shortened. To top it all off, prolonged bed rest during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of complications (such as coagulation of the veins in the legs: phlebitis).
Sport is scientifically recommended
Moreover, according to the latest scientific recommendations, regular exercise during pregnancy does not increase the risk of premature delivery. Because of its benefits, moderate and regular sports activity is recommended in patients with normal pregnancies. If walking (at least 30 minutes a day), swimming (beneficial for the back) or maintenance gymnastics are activities to be encouraged, certain activities such as skiing, cycling, horseback riding, endurance sports should be done with caution.
Moderate sports
However, there is sport and there is sport. Some do indeed present maternal traumatic risks, others can have consequences for the fetus: contact sports, violent sports, energetic racket games, certain aquatic sports with a high risk of abdominal trauma, falls and stress on the joints, are contraindicated. Scuba diving is also contraindicated due to decompression sickness.
And what about libido during pregnancy?
Even if it is not a sport per se, sexual intercourse is a physical activity. Some parents are concerned about this. The answer is that there is no physiological contraindication in general. During pregnancy sexuality is linked to desire... as variable as outside of it. No rule therefore. Certain women, stimulated by the hormones of the pregnancy feel a libido more intense than before their pregnancy and are surprised by it. Others freeze themselves in a quasi-phobic protection of their child as soon as the pregnancy is known. The same is true for companions, some of whom, for fear of harming their child, no longer approach their wife as soon as they know she is pregnant.
Sexual intercourse during pregnancy, dangerous for the foetus?
To the question whether intercourse is dangerous for the pregnancy and for the child, the answer is clearly negative in the absence of pathology. The fetus is well protected in the uterus and the cervix is a hermetic barrier to everything that can happen in the vagina. It is only when the cervix is pathologically dilated during a threat of premature delivery that intercourse may become contraindicated. Similarly, when the placenta is partially inserted on the cervix: Placenta previa can cause bleeding after intercourse and should be avoided, as well as when the membranes are ruptured and delivery is imminent. Apart from these three cases, there is no risk of intercourse during pregnancy.
Conclusion:
Pregnant, do not stop exercising, keep moving. Walking, swimming, activities specially designed for pregnant women are recommended: anything that contributes to the pregnant woman's well-being is good for her and her baby. But in this area as in others, you must use common sense and avoid excesses.
