Must Avoid 10 Physical Activities that Cause Miscarriage

On: January 16, 2020

Physical activities help you to stay fit. They are suitable for your heart, mind, and body. However, when you are expectant, things might be different. But you have been told the importance of engaging in physical activities when you are pregnant – better sleep, a lighter mood, endurance, more strength, and the list goes on. But when you are pregnant, some physical activities might not be safe for you. Therefore, knowing which exercise is good and which one is not during this time will keep you and your fetus safe.

While staying active during pregnancy is recommended for expectant mothers, there are some exercises that are likely to lead to stress, injury, among other complications. Some physical activities during this period are merely tiring or too uncomfortable to engage in. For this reason, it is crucial as a pregnant mother to know which exercises you should avoid during pregnancy.

Besides that, if you have any medical conditions during pregnancy, ensure that you talk to your doctor before you engage yourself in any physical exercise. The doctor will be able to advise you on which physical activity is ideal for you and which one is not.

When you become pregnant, your body undergoes several physical changes which might make doing some exercises challenging. The growth of your tummy is a challenge in itself. The following is how the changes in your body can affect you if you take part in some physical activities:

When you are pregnant, your body releases some pregnancy hormones, which make the joints and ligaments of your body to become loose. When your joints are not strong, you are likely to get injured easily.
The center of gravity of your body is shifted because of the growing tummy. When your center of gravity shifts, it is easy to lose balance.
Engaging in vigorous activities can increase your heartbeat. This can, in turn, increase your blood pressure.
The changes in your blood pressure are likely to make you dizzy and lightheaded.

The following are some of the exercises that you should avoid during pregnancy:

Page Contents

1. Avoid Contact Sports

contact sports to avoid that Cause Miscarriage

These are sports such as martial arts, football, hockey, rugby, among other contact sports. You should avoid such games because of the way they are played; they increase the chances your tummy getting hit. Therefore, it is prudent to avoid such games when you are pregnant.

If you are part of a team in such games, it is advisable to avoid such games more, especially during the first trimester. During the first trimester, your belly is starting to grow, and if any pressure is applied on the belly, it can lead to miscarriage.

2. Avoid Exercise to Lose Weight

It is very healthy to gain weight during pregnancy. Depending on your weight before you became pregnant, you can add between 25 and 35 pounds. That is a lot of weight to add, and it can be hard to take it in because of the physical and emotional challenges involved.

However, it is advisable to leave shading those extra kilos until after giving birth. Actually, gaining weight during pregnancy is a sign that you are eating healthy, and your baby is developing normally.

3. Avoid Too much heat

If you like doing light exercises during pregnancy, ensure that you carry out your workout during the cool of the day. It is advisable to do your exercise either early in the morning or during the evening. Alternatively, you can find a gym with air conditioning.

Also, during pregnancy, ensure that you avoid all forms of hot yoga. Besides that, ensure that you are well hydrated during the hot days. Hot yoga increases the heat stress in your body, and it can have serious effects more especially on the neural tubes of the fetus. If you must take part in yoga, then engage in those that are safe for pregnant mothers. Also, ensure that the yoga trainer is qualified to teach expectant mothers.

Clinically, overheating during pregnancy is termed as hyper-thermia. According to doctors, an expectant mother might not feel uncomfortable even when the body temperature increases. However, you can know that you are overheating if you feel dizzy, nausea, weak and tired, light-headedness, and dehydrated.

4. Avoid aerobic exercises

Exercising moderately is good for you during pregnancy. However, you should not involve yourself in strenuous aerobic activities. More especially if you have conditions such as excessive bleeding, severe anemic conditions, or a heart condition.

When you engage in such exercises, it reduces the amount of oxygen supply to the fetus. When the fetus is not getting a sufficient quantity of oxygen, it can interfere with its development.

5. Exercising at high altitude

It is not advisable to exercise in areas with high altitudes unless you have stayed in that area for some time. If you are in a place above 2500 meters above sea level, it reduces the supply of oxygen to the unborn baby.

If you travel to a place with high altitude, then you should wait for at least five days before you can start exercising. These days will allow your body to get used to the high altitude. However, if you must exercise at such an altitude, then you should seek help from a physical exercise trainer to train you on how you can acclimatize and tell you appropriate exercise that you can engage in.

Most importantly, if you are exercising at a high altitude and you experience altitude sickness, which includes chest pains, general weakness, excessive shortness of breath, and lightheadedness, you should stop the exercise as soon as possible and seek medical attention.

6. Avoid Exercising on your back

After sixteen weeks of pregnancy, it is not advisable to exercise on your back. This is because it can lead to dizziness and low blood pressure. It happens when the weight of the baby presses a major blood vessel, which in turn reduces the flow of blood to your heart and your baby.

The major blood vessel that is pressed by the baby is the vena cava, which takes blood to the heart. When insufficient blood reaches your heart, it will lead to a condition known as hypotension.

Moreover, during pregnancy, you are advised to sleep on your side rather than on your side. That way, you will avoid the risk of experiencing low blood pressure.

7. Avoid Exercises with high chances of falling

Any physical activity that has high risks of falling should be avoided. Some activities, such as skiing, horse riding, and mountain climbing, are not ideal for a pregnant mother. This is because as the tummy is growing, the center of gravity of an expectant mother shifts. This makes it hard to maintain balance.

Such activities with high chances of falling increase the risk of getting hurt. Therefore, avoid such activities so that you will not fall on your growing tummy and injure your fetus. The risk involved in engaging in such activities outweighs the benefits that you can get from such activities.

Even riding a bicycle might be risky. Therefore, if you like riding a bike, then you should avoid it till after delivery. But if it is your means of transport, then seek advice from your doctor before you continue using it.

8. Avoid High-intensity workouts

When you are pregnant, your heart beats faster so that supply blood to all the extremities. When you involve yourself in high-intensity physical activities, it increases the rate of your heartbeat. This will put double pressure on your heart. During pregnancy, the rate of your heartbeat should not go beyond 140 beats per minute. If your pulse goes beyond this, you risk the danger of contracting high blood pressure.

Also Read:

9. Avoid overworking yourself

Engaging yourself in an exercise to the point of exhaustion is seen as the way of improving an athlete’s endurance. However, for an expectant woman, it can reduce the flow of blood to the uterus.

If, while exercising, you cannot be able to sing without running out of breath, then you should stop. If you are running out of breath, then you are pushing yourself too far, and you should stop.

10. Avoid scuba diving

It is not advisable to engage in scuba diving while pregnant. Some unconcluded studies indicate that it can lead to congenital disabilities.

Moreover, the nitrogen gas bubbles that are released during diving can easily pass through the placenta of the mother in the uterus. When your fetus is exposed to the nitrogen gas, it can negatively affect the developing fetus. Therefore, scuba diving is not safe during pregnancy.

Can exercise cause miscarriage in first trimester?

A simple answer is no. When adequately carried out; exercise cannot cause miscarriage. If your pregnancy is healthy, there is no danger in engaging in any physical activity. Most mothers are concerned about shaking their babies as they exercise; do not be worried about that. Your baby is safely protected by the amniotic fluid, which acts as a shock absorber. Therefore, your baby is secure within the uterus. However, if you are concerned with the impact of the shaking, then go for exercise with a low impact such s swimming or walking.

Besides that, if you have any medical conditions that prevent you from engaging in physical activities, then seek advice from a medical practitioner.

Can jumping cause miscarriage in early pregnancy?

A straight answer is yes. Jumping during early pregnancy can cause miscarriage. When you jump during pregnancy, you increase the chances of losing the pregnancy. This is because during pregnancy, the body releases Relaxin hormone, which makes the ligaments and joints weak. This hormone makes the ligaments in the pelvic area. When these ligaments become weak, it is easy for the fetus to be lost.

Besides that, during the pregnancy period, the center of gravity of a woman changes due to the growth of the tummy. As such, involving yourself in jumping increases your chances of losing balance and falling, which can lead to miscarriage. Also, jumping during pregnancy involves a jarring movement, which pounds on the cervix, which in turn can trigger early contractions and increase the chances of losing the baby.

Can lifting weights cause miscarriage?

is it safe to lift weights during pregnancy

Generally speaking, it is a common belief in Asia that stress can affect the developing fetus. Besides that, it is believed that lifting weights makes the body weak, which in turn puts the pregnancy at risk.

According to a study that was carried out in 2017, involving yourself in a strenuous exercise such as weight lifting during the first trimester increases the chances of experiencing a miscarriage. In this study, it was established that weight lifting increases the chances of miscarriage by 3.5 percent as compared to non-weight lifting.

According to this study, if the pregnant woman did not experience morning sickness before going to lift weights, the strenuous exercise is likely to trigger a miscarriage. However, there is no conclusive evidence on the same.

Therefore, if you were used to lifting weights before you became pregnant, it is advisable to consult your doctor whether you should continue or not. Your doctor will be able to advise you on the maximum weight that you can lift.

Can sit-ups cause miscarriage in early pregnancy?

Sit-ups or crunching exercise is not the right choice of activity for a pregnant woman. That is because it has more harm to your pregnancy than good. It is unsafe because, in the first place, it involves lying on your back. As we indicated above, lying on your back during pregnancy is risky.

Besides that, your tummy needs room to grow to accommodate your growing baby. When you do sit-ups, the muscles around your abdomen separate, this is referred to as abdominal separation. When the abdominal muscles separate, they become weak and lengthen. The force that you apply on your tummy during sit-ups will make your belly lose. If the abdominal muscles loosen and separate, there are high chances of losing the pregnancy. Therefore, you should avoid sit-ups during early pregnancy.

Can roughhousing cause miscarriage?

According to studies, most miscarriages occur during the first thirteen weeks of pregnancy. Most partners fear to engage in sex during this time. But there is no evidence that engaging in sex during this time will lead to miscarriage. Chances of miscarrying because of sex are very rare.

As long as you do not have any medical complications, it is safe to have sex, and it will not lead to miscarriage. As a matter of fact, it is safe to have sex during any trimester of pregnancy. However, you should use sex positions that you are comfortable with and are safe.

Your baby is protected by the amniotic fluid, which will absorb any shock during sex. Therefore, having sex is completely safe during pregnancy. But if you have any pregnancy complications, then you should avoid having sex until you deliver. Some of the difficulties that make sex during pregnancy unsafe include placenta praevia, also known as low-lying placenta and cervical insufficiency or short cervix.

Can skipping cause an abortion?

It is safe to engage in light exercise during pregnancy. However, you should avoid skipping the robe. If you skip the rope during pregnancy, it can lead to miscarriage. When you jump, you increase the pounding of the uterus on the cervix. As the cervix is continually pounding, it can become weak, and it can easily lead to abortion. Besides that, skipping can trigger contractions and other pregnancy complications.

Can running cause miscarriage?

Health experts advise that expectant mothers should engage in some form of exercise daily. Among many benefits, exercise helps to reduce the chances of giving birth to a baby who is overweight, fight pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, preterm birth, among many other benefits.

Running during pregnancy can be risky when you develop complications such as vaginal bleeding, low-lying placenta, among other complications.

However, if you do not have any complications, it is safe to run during pregnancy. According to pregnancy experts, your baby is safe within the womb, thanks to the amniotic. It is essential, however, to stay hydrated and wear loose-fitting clothes more especially during the first trimester.

Also, when you are running, ensure that you run on a flat surface. This is because running on the uneven ground poses the danger of dripping and falling, which might harm your pregnancy. In addition to that, because of the pregnancy hormone that is produced, which makes the joints and ligaments weak, you need a flat surface to reduce the chances of getting hurt.

Most importantly, ensure that you do not push yourself beyond your ability. When you run, listen to your body. Take short breaks, and you will still achieve your fitness goal.