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Pregnant women who exercise earlier gain more health benefits
New research has found exercise during pregnancy can reduce gestational diabetes risk by 30%. Photo: Getty
While exercise may be the last thing you want to do during pregnancy, new research suggests that it can boost your health, and the baby’s too.
A new study published in the journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has found that expectant mothers who take up moderate exercise can reduce their chance of developing gestational diabetes by 30 per cent.
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The risk lowers even further if they do so throughout their entire pregnancy. Somewhat unsurprisingly, they’re also less likely to gain weight, with researchers urging mothers-to-be to become more active.
During the study, Spanish researchers examined 13 previous studies involving over 2800 women who only began exercising after becoming pregnant, having previously participated in little or no exercise.
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They found that only did they have a lower risk of gestational diabetes, women who were active during their gestational periods were typically 1kg lighter than their sedentary counterparts. Researchers also concluded that starting earlier in pregnancy will also boost the baby’s health.
Gestational diabetes mellitus affects up to 14 per cent of women and can lead to high blood pressure, early delivery and the need for a C-section. It can also lead to larger babies at birth, potentially causing injury.
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Experts state the results show the need for doctors and midwives to recommend moderate activity to expectant mums “as an effective and safe strategy to experience healthier pregnancies,” they wrote in the journal.
“Our results show that physical exercise during pregnancy reduces the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus and also slight reduces the maternal weight gain.”
