QuestionI am 33 and just found out that I am pregnant (about 5 weeks). I am an avid tennis player usually playing for about 2-3 hours 4 days per week. Should I be concerned that this activity can increase chances of M/S? Thanks so much for any advice!
AnswerJust in the last few weeks, a large published study in Europe found that women who did a lot of intense, high-impact aerobic exercise, like running, in the first trimester of pregnancy did have an increased risk of miscarriage. But at this point it is not clear why this is the case, and the pros and cons of how the study was conducted has yet to be analyzed. This is the first, and as yet, only study to find this correlation.
Tennis has a lot of quick starts and stops and changes in direction. It's aerobic (with skilled players only) with a lot of anaerobic bursts.
So what to do? If you've had a history of previous miscarriage, then it would seem prudent to stop tennis. If continuing tennis would be a worry to you, then stop. Continual emotional stress during pregnancy is not healthy.
You could switch to a non-impact aerobic activity, like stair-steeping, elliptical training, stationary bike, or best yet swimming. Swimming is the ideal pregnancy exercise, it keeps the core strong, and you can continue to get lots of exercise and stay really fit right up to birth.
