SPORTS THAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED DURING PREGNANCY INCLUDE:
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- Any Contact Sport
- Boxing
- Gymnastics
- Football / Soccer
- Basketball
- Skiing and snowboarding
- Racquet and Stick Sports
- Scuba Diving and Free Diving
- Horse riding
- Outdoor Cycling
- Rock Climbing
- Bungee Jumping
- Roller Blading
- Hot Yoga
REASONS WHY THESE SPORTS ARE UNSAFE DURING PREGNANCY
Contact sports obviously have the risk of abdomen injury on making contact which can cause harm to the fetus. Racquet and stick sports with balls are risky due to the risk of the racquet, stick or ball causing abdomen injury.
Sports that can risk losing balanceA no-no during pregnancy due to the risk of falling and abdomen injury. Jumping with turns, twists can cause risk of falling. Your balance will also become affected by the increased belly causing your center of gravity to change meaning it is easier to topple over and also the increased laxity in your joints and ligaments due to the increased amounts of hormone relaxin as your pregnancy progresses.
Horse riding and rock climbing obviously have the risks of abdomen injury if fall from a height.
Skiing is a risking sport due to high probability of falling or being hit by someone else.
Scuba diving including pool dives, free diving and open diving have the potential to affect the fetus. Dive injuries can include pulmonary barotrauma or arterial gas embolism (AGE) when air bubbles in the blood vessels or heart block the supply of blood and are a form of Decompression Sickness which can harm the fetus also when the mother is not experiencing symptoms. The air bubbles are distributed through the body and may interrupt circulation or cause direct indirect trauma to the fetus (from padi.com)
Hot Yoga gives an increased risk of neural tube defects and possibly other malformations of fetuses when they are exposed to excessive heat
