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| Common Questions |
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| Can I exercise during pregnancy? |
Pregnancy is not the time to initiate a new exercise regime. However, if you have engaged in a regular fitness program before conceiving, you can safely continue as long as there are no pregnancy complications.
There are certain situations when it would be prudent to limit activity, such as multiple gestations (twins, triplets, etc), preterm labor, high blood pressure, or if the baby is found not to be growing appropriately. When exercising, it is important to remain well hydrated and to avoid overheating. Therefore, be sure to drink a lot of fluid to replace what is lost, dress in cool, comfortable clothes, and avoid excessive heat. Finally, as your uterus enlarges, your posture is changed and your center of gravity is altered. Pregnant women are less steady on their feet and thus more prone to fall. To prevent injury, you may need to modify the type of exercise as your pregnancy advances. |
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| Can I travel during pregnancy? |
Traveling, including flying, is safe during pregnancy. Since sitting for long periods of time predisposes to pooling of blood in the leg veins, you should be more conscientious about intermittently getting up and taking short walks.
One concern regarding travel is finding yourself in a position where familiar and competent obstetric care may be unavailable if an emergency should arise. Another consideration is that travel to certain areas of the world requires immunizations or medications to prevent various infections. It is advisable to consult your obstetrician and probably a specialist in infectious diseases to confirm that the medications and vaccinations are safe during pregnancy and to question whether the illnesses would have any long-lasting effect on your baby. |
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| Can I continue to have sex during my pregnancy? |
It is generally believed that sexual intercourse is not harmful during a pregnancy. There are some studies that suggest that preterm rupture of the membranes, infection, and preterm labor are more likely among women who have intercourse, but this is not a consistent finding among all studies. Certain circumstances are deemed high-risk and in these cases sexual intercourse should be discouraged, such as in women who are at greater risk of preterm labor and rupture of the membranes and women who experience strong uterine contractions after intercourse. |
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| Can I drink alcohol during pregnancy? |
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Alcohol is now recognized as one of the most potent, known teratogens (a substance that can cause birth defects). Infants that are exposed to alcohol in utero are at risk for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, a condition that is associated with poor growth, heart defects, facial abnormalities, and mental retardation. In fact, alcohol ingestion is the most common identifiable cause of mental retardation.
In general, studies demonstrate that the more severely affected children are born to women who drink the most. However, other studies have demonstrated that even rare drinking can be associated with abnormalities in children. Since it is impossible to define a safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, the current recommendations are to completely abstain from alcohol. |
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