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Physiological Changes During Pregnancy: Main Adaptations, Discomforts, and Implications for Physical Activity and Exercise

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Exercise and Sporting Activity During Pregnancy

Abstract

Almost the entire female body naturally modifies and changes during pregnancy, and in many cases these modifications occur normally; however there may be imbalances that occur that can cause complications or pathologies.

In fact, pregnancy is known as the most changing period in a human life as there is no other time that produces the same quantity and quality of bodily modifications. Due to the varied changes the body experiences, pregnancy and childbirth can determine the future well-being of the mother and her child.

The pregnant body must work for 40 weeks to achieve adequate fetal growth and development, and this causes a constant effort to maintain balance in all organs and systems. In summary, due to the many modifications that occur during pregnancy, exercise during pregnancy should be given unique and special considerations when compared to nonpregnant populations. However from a scientific point of view, none of these modifications contradicts exercise in healthy pregnant women without obstetric contraindications.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain

    María Perales

  2. Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (‘i+12’), Madrid, Spain

    María Perales

  3. Faculty of Health Science, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Taniya Singh Nagpal

  4. Faculty of Sciences for Physical Activity and Sport, Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ruben Barakat

Authors
  1. María Perales
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  2. Taniya Singh Nagpal
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  3. Ruben Barakat
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Rio Maior, Portugal

    Rita Santos-Rocha

  2. Laboratory of Biomechanics and Functional Morphology, Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo, Portugal

    Rita Santos-Rocha

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Perales, M., Nagpal, T.S., Barakat, R. (2019). Physiological Changes During Pregnancy: Main Adaptations, Discomforts, and Implications for Physical Activity and Exercise. In: Santos-Rocha, R. (eds) Exercise and Sporting Activity During Pregnancy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91032-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91032-1_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-91031-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-91032-1

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