Is swimming during pregnancy good for you?
Women can consider swimming as a safe and beneficial form of exercise during pregnancy
We are all well-acquainted with the benefits of swimming. You work out your entire body and reaps many health benefits like improving circulation, increasing muscle toning and strength, reducing swelling and fluid retention, etc
Similarly, swimming during pregnancy can be a good form of exercise that will help you to keep fit and easier adapt to your changing body. The water buoyancy supports your extra weight, which can serve as a huge relief especially in the last trimester.
However, a woman’s immunity is compromised and can be considered more vulnerable when she is pregnant, says Dr Catherine Spong, a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and acting director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. This is the reason why some doctors are against pregnant women swimming in public pools, because of the high levels of bacteria existing in the water. Yet, other experts say that as long as the pool water is well maintained, taking a dip can be favorable to expectant mums.
A 2010 study conducted in Denmark and published in the journal Epidemiology aimed to answer the question “Is Swimming During Pregnancy a Safe Exercise? by comparing swimming, bicycling and no exercise. Swimming is considered an ideal activity for pregnant women, the study found. There was no indication that swimming in pool water "is associated with adverse reproductive outcomes.”
A more recent study, published in 2013 in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, cited concerns that either water-borne pathogens or methods of disinfecting pool water might increase the risk of birth defects. But the data found no positive association between pool use and birth defects.
Most recently, a report issued last year from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists presented swimming as a safe physical activity for pregnant women. In its review of physical activity and exercise, the report listed safe and unsafe physical activities for pregnant women reflecting new clinical and scientific data.
Swimming is "well tolerated by pregnant women and generally considered to be encouraged and to be safe,” Dr Spong said.
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