Trying to get pregnant? Avoid high-strain activity, it may cause miscarriage

Women who have lost a pregnancy before should avoid doing high levels of physical activity while trying to conceive again. A new study has warned high-strain activity in the earliest stage of pregnancy, or around the time of trying to conceive can increase your risk of miscarriage or early pregnancy loss.

It can be difficult to detect subclinical or very early pregnancy loss because they may occur before a woman is even aware that she’s pregnant. Subclinical losses can be detected only from hCG testing in biospecimens. A rise in the hormone hCG is one of the earliest indicators of pregnancy.

Women who were highly active were found to have a two-fold higher risk of very early pregnancy loss compared to those who were less active. The study conducted by researchers from the University of Massachusetts in the US appeared in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

The study participants were women between 18 and 40 years old with one or two pregnancy losses who were trying to conceive again. Among the women who became pregnant, 23.9 per cent experienced pregnancy loss, including subclinical losses.

Risk Factors for Miscarriage

A miscarriage is also known as spontaneous abortion as it’s the spontaneous ending of a pregnancy. Estimates say about 1/3 to 1/2 of all pregnancies end in miscarriage even before a woman knows she is pregnant. A miscarriage often occurs within the first 3 months of pregnancy, before 20 weeks’ gestation. Only 1% of miscarriages occur after 20 weeks’ gestation, termed as late miscarriages.

Risk factors miscarriage may involve the mother, the baby or both. Maternal age, certain health conditions in the mother, chromosomal abnormalities in the baby, and lifestyle factors—such as smoking, stress — are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.

Maternal age. Studies say risk of miscarriage increases as the mother gets older. While the miscarriage risk is 12% to 15% for women in their 20s, it rises to about 25% for women at age 40. Age-related risk of miscarriage is linked to chromosomal abnormalities in older women.

Chronic medical conditions in the mother, such as uncontrolled diabetes and thyroid disease, are also risk factors for pregnancy loss or miscarriage. Other possible risk factors for miscarriage include:

Being overweight or underweight
Previous miscarriages
Sexually transmitted diseases
Certain viral and bacterial infections during pregnancy
Abnormal uterine configuration, such as a septate uterus, or unicornuate uterus.
Conceiving after infertility

Lifestyle Factors Associated with Increased Miscarriage Risk

Certain lifestyle factors might also indirectly increase a women’s risk of pregnancy loss.

Substance abuse
Alcohol consumption
Cigarette smoking (both paternal and maternal habits)
Occupational exposure to chemicals
Use of certain medications and painkillers while pregnant
Use of certain herbs while pregnant
Chronic stress and anxiety
High caffeine intake
Exposure to low levels of radiation
Strenuous/high-impact exercise

While lifestyle risk factors—such as smoking— are preventable, there isn’t much you can do to avoid pregnancy loss. If you’ve had a miscarriage earlier, chances are that you it could happen again.