There was a time (a dark time, if you ask many women) when pregnancy was treated like an illness. The pregnant woman wasn’t supposed to work, to travel, or to do anything fun at all. Fortunately for most of us, those days are passed. We’re realizing the fact that pregnancy is normal and natural. Pregnancy doesn’t have to keep us from doing the things that we want to do. In many ways, pregnancy will actually enhance our normal activities.
One of the areas that pregnancy becomes a concern is in the area of exercise. Some types of exercise may be considered unsafe for the pregnant woman, while others are usually just fine. Bike riding is one of those exercises that is probably something you need to talk to your doctor about. There are some health conditions that a pregnant woman may have that can put her at risk when it comes to bike riding. On the other hand, many women may not have issues at all.
Here are some of the potential concerns for bike riding while you are pregnant:
- Bike riding creates a risk of falling. This is a problem for a pregnant woman because of the risk of abdominal injury. Any activity that contains a falling risk is something that you might want to stay away from when you’re pregnant.
- During pregnancy, your center of gravity changes. This is a problem for bike riding because it changes the way you need to hold yourself to balance on the bike. Not only does it create a falling risk as mentioned above, it also means that your muscles are going to have to work in a different way during pregnancy.
- Women who have placenta previa should consider avoiding bike riding. Placenta previa is a condition in which the placenta covers the cervix. If you ride a bike with that condition, the vibrations and bumps of bike riding can cause problems with bleeding.
Many pregnant women who enjoy biking may consider switching to a stationary bike during their pregnancy, or at least during the second and third trimesters. This reduces the risks involved that come from falling, and still allows you to enjoy your exercise time.