Dangerous Prenatal Condition Linked to Exercise
Reported January 1, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Recent study results that surprised researchers show pregnant women who exercise more than 30 minutes each day expose themselves to preeclampsia, a condition that can cause dangerous complications.
Danish and Norwegian researchers looked at the medical data of more than 85,000 women in Denmark who were pregnant between 1996 and 2002. They found pregnant women who jogged more than one hour and 15 minutes each week more than doubled their risk of getting preeclampsia. Those who exercised 4.5 hours to seven hours each week were 65 percent more likely to have severe preeclampsia, and women who exercised more than seven hours per week were 78 percent more likely to develop the condition.
These results were especially surprising since several countries have issued recommendations that pregnant women should exercise at least 30 minutes each to prevent preeclampsia.
The Preeclampsia Foundation says the condition, which is characterized by high blood pressure, is responsible for 18 percent of maternal deaths in the United States. The only cure for preeclampsia is delivery of the baby.
SOURCE: British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 20008