Saed News: In the past, pregnant women were encouraged to remain as inactive as possible, but findings from a new review suggest that they should do the opposite.
According to SAEDNEWS, a new review shows that the likelihood of pregnancy complications is higher in women who spend more time sitting compared to those who include even light physical activity in their daily routine.
These complications include pregnancy-related high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth.
According to the researchers, their major finding was that women who sit for more than 10 hours a day are twice as likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to women who sit for shorter periods.
Although the researchers expected to find that excessive sitting during pregnancy could be harmful to health, the level of additional risk was greater than anticipated, supporting the idea that prolonged sedentary behavior should not be recommended during pregnancy.
The researchers tracked the physical activity of 470 pregnant women during the first trimester for one week. The results showed that out of every five women who sat for 10 hours or more per day, two experienced pregnancy complications, whereas only one in five women who sat for about 7 hours developed complications.
Of course, there are many barriers to exercise during pregnancy, including fatigue, nausea, bodily changes, and musculoskeletal pain. However, according to the researchers, the results suggest that simply sitting less and moving more can be key to maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Just standing up and moving more may help prevent these complications.
