In women with a history of miscarriage, higher levels of physical activity were associated with a greater risk of subclinical, or very early, pregnancy loss, according to new research. Among women with confirmed pregnancy, physical activity and miscarriage risk were unrelated.

In women with a history of miscarriage, higher levels of physical activity were associated with a greater risk of subclinical, or very early, pregnancy loss, according to new research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The study, which sheds new light on the question of physical activity and very early pregnancy, was recently published in the journal Fertility and Sterility. “The implantation period may represent a time of vulnerability, when high-strain activity could pose a risk for subclinical, or very early pregnancy loss,” notes the study. “There was roughly a two-fold higher risk of very early pregnancy loss for women who were highly active compared to those who were less active.” Physical activity was defined in terms of time spent and intensity level to calculate an overall exercise score. The researchers say their study suggests that women who have lost a pregnancy may want to avoid high-strain activity in the earliest stage of a subsequent pregnancy, or around the time of trying to become pregnant.

I often tell my patients that in this time of implantation and the early weeks of pregnancy that my preferred mode of physical activity is

HORIZONTAL EXERCISE
?‍♀️? Yoga
?‍♀️?Pilates
?‍♀️?Recumbent Bike
?‍♀️?Mat Classes
?‍♀️?Barre/Bar Classes

“For women who are experiencing difficulty conceiving, our results are consistent with prior work that has also shown that high exercise strain during the implantation period may be related to increased risk of loss,”