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 Roy Pitkin, M.D., is a professor of obstetrics and
gynecology and is the former chair of the ob/gyn
department at the University of California, Los
Angeles School of Medicine. He is a frequent advisor
to national health agencies on women's health issues and has
received numerous international honors for this work.
Q: Is it safe for me to continue biking throughout my pregnancy?
A: If your pregnancy is normal, you can probably continue biking throughout the first two trimesters. However, it's very important that you not exert yourself too strenuously. This causes you to divert blood flow from the uterus to your skeletal muscles. A reasonable guide is to make sure your pulse rate does not exceed 100 beats per minute. Secondly, you should avoid biking altogether during the last third or so of pregnancy because any spills in late pregnancy could cause damage to the baby or to the enlarging uterus; a stationary exercise bicycle would be much safer.
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