European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jogging a does it jiggle the fetus by Maria Lisa Calta new York times for Active athletes who become pregnant new evidence oilers reassurance that vigorous exercise does not damage the fetus. In a study published in the american journal of obstetrics and gynaecology or. James f Clapp 3rd of the University of Vermont reported that vigorous exercise by women who were already in Good shape did not harm a developing embryo the published findings involved women in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy the results of studies in late pregnancy have yet to be published but Clapp said the findings were consistent. One particularly striking finding was that pregnancy May enhance an athlete s performance although Clapp said More research was needed in this area. But or. Raoul Artal a professor of obstetrics gynaecology and exercise sciences at the University of Southern California in los Angeles stressed that Clapp s study applied to a Quot highly selected highly skewed population of very Active healthy women the results should not be applied to the population at Large Artal said but he added that the findings were Good news for the select group Clapp also cautioned that the women in his study were extremely Well conditioned and that these findings might not apply to women who have not been exercising intensively for a Long time before Conception while doctors have Long approved of moderate exercise Lor pregnant women they have generally discouraged More vigorous efforts Clapp explained that doctors have been concerned that the increase in body temperature in an exercising pregnant woman could cause abnormalities in the embryo this is because raising body temperature increases the cell metabolism and they feared that growing and dividing cells like embryonic tissue could be killed by the additional metabolic Load. Doctors were also concerned that the redistribution of the blood Low during exercise a into the Muscles and skin and away from the infernal organs like fhe uterus a could harm the embryo by depriving it of oxygen and other nutrients and by inhibiting waste removal Artal said no study had Ever shown that exercise benefits pregnancy Quot in the absence of proven benefits it is prudent Toas part of the University study machine monitors heartbeat of a pregnant woman one Treadmill. Be cautious Quot he said but he noted that pregnancy should not be a period of confinement and that each woman should tailor her exercise to her needs and abilities taking into account her medical history and her physicians advice. The Standard advice offered by the american College of obstetricians and gynaecologists is that pregnant women should engage in moderate activity three times a week. They should avoid jarring motions undue twisting of joints or exercise while lying Flat on the Back which May impede blood flow to the fetus the College says women Are cautioned to Stop exercising it they experience pain bleeding dizziness shortness of breath or palpitations the guidelines also advise that pregnant women should not raise their pulse Over a rate determined by their doctor generally about 140. But Clapp said his subjects routinely raised their pulse rates Over 150 during exercise with no ill effect. Clapp an obstetrician who has been studying exercise in pregnancy for a decade was a member of the advisory Board that formulated the guidelines in 1986 he said he might recommend modifications in the future. Clapp studied women who exercised at least three times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes doing High intensity aerobic dancing or running. To qualify All subjects must have been Active for at least two years before Conception none were professional or olympic athletes. Clapp recruited the subjects through health clubs advertisements and word of Mouth. He said he studied them for an average of at least three months before Conception. The athletes studied averaged t Vij to 6 /2 hours a week of exercise. The study included a control group of women who exercised Only sporadically averaging less than an hour a week. All the women worked outside the Home and were from an upper socioeconomic class. The study included 49 runners. 38 aerobic dancers and 28 controls with an average age of 31. All were in excellent health and physical condition before they conceived Clapp said Clapp who said he was surprised by the findings voiced Hope that one result of the study would be to free Many pregnant women of guilt about exercising he tells about an incident nearly two years ago when he was running in a local Road race behind one of his subjects a woman in her last three months of pregnancy. Spectators along the route booed the woman As she ran past he said. Although Clapp s report tracked the women Only through 10 weeks to said the outcome of All the pregnancies were known. He said the incidence of problems like miscarriage congenital malformations and placental abnormalities such As ectopic or tubal pregnancies was no greater in the athletes than in the non athletes and they were about the same As they Are for the population at Large. The study showed an 18 percent miscarriage rate in aerobic dancers 17 percent in runners and 25 percent in women who did Little exercise. 01 the three birth defects noted in the full term babies two were genetic. Two of the birth defects occurred in the babies of athletes and one in the baby of a non exerciser Clapp said the study found that a pregnant athlete s body is More efficient using less oxygen to perform a task than a non pregnant athlete s he said he hoped More study would shed Light on the reason for this. Incidentally Clapp said he was never Able to catch up to the pregnant woman tunning the Road race in 1988 she later gave birth to a healthy baby boy. The is pipes e to Bush proposes troop cuts budget Calls super bowl Blowout a 49ers 55, Broncos 10 for reduction to �?T80 Levels your military pay and the 91 bad get a Bock Page every Day can make a world of difference. In a world that never takes a Day to rest every Day can make a world of difference. A Day can mean the difference Between a Campaign and a Victory. A budget and a budget Cut. A revolutionary idea and a revolution the stars and stripes has All the news it takes to keep you on top of the world s events. And a subscription to the stars and stripes can assure you that you ii never fall a Day behind. Call one of our circulation offices today listing on Page ii for your subscription 10 the stars and stripes. Or write to. The stars and stripes attn sales promotion Apo 09211 tuesday january 30, 1990 the stars and stripes a Page 17