Sports while pregnant: how safe?

BRIDGET CARTER and JULIE ASH

Pregnant women have been banished from the netball court in Australia, and the ruling is likely to apply to our netballers when they play on Australian soil.

Netball Australia imposed the ban at a meeting in Sydney on Sunday night.

It is the first official rule making sport off-limits to mothers-to-be and will apply to 350,000 netballers at any level.

Why has Netball Australia banned pregnant women?

President Sue Taylor says the reasons are mainly legal.

In Australia, people could sue if an unborn child was hurt in the workplace or during sport, which often made netballers frightened to play pregnant opponents.

Even if a mother did not take legal action, her child could sue if it had suffered damage because of events before it was born.

"It can sue the mother or anyone else who has something to do with it."

The ban is temporary until a forum is held on pregnancy and sport in the next few months.

But the issue has been brewing in Australian netball for years, and Netball Australia says the ban will not be lifted unless medical and legal experts and players and coaches at the forum agree playing while pregnant is safe.

Sue Taylor says the stance is not a medical one because there is no hard proof that sport is harmful during pregnancy.

She adds that Netball Australia could be taken to the Sex Discrimination Commission, but the legal costs for that, where there are maximum set penalties, would be cheaper than facing a negligence case where it was "an open book" situation.

Pregnant Australians have been injured on the netball court in the past, but she believes there have been no court cases.

Sports such as boxing and rodeo riding have been off-limits to pregnant women across the Tasman, "but this is the first official outspoken ban."

What happens elsewhere?

Waikato University lecturer Dr Robyn Longhurst looked into pregnant women's exclusion from sport as part of her PhD.

She says the Australian situation is similar to that in the United States, where women are being made to leave their jobs because employers fear they could sue them for damage to the foetus.

Some have even been forced to undergo mandatory pregnancy tests.

Will pregnant women be banned in New Zealand?

Our legislation is different from Australia's, which suggests that the rule will not be introduced here, but New Zealand Netball chief executive Shelley McMeeken is investigating.

Auckland barrister Keith Reid, who specialises in accident compensation, says that under the New Zealand scheme the right to sue for damages was removed in 1974.

The old rules were changed because they were "cumbersome" and legal costs were usually high.

Hillary Commission communications officer Jayne Broomhall says the commission believes there should be no blanket ban on pregnant women in sport.

"We think it is an issue for New Zealand women to decide themselves."

What are the benefits of exercise when pregnant?

Most medical experts agree that some physical activity is beneficial.

The Hillary Commission guidelines say exercise improves heart and lung fitness needed for labour and general muscular strength.

It helps to reduce backache and the chances of common problems like high blood pressure, leg cramps and constipation.

The need for pain relief during labour may be reduced by exercise, and fitness can also reduce the length of labour.

Exercise can increase mothers' self-esteem, improve circulation, which helps to prevent varicose veins, and boost stamina, needed for sleepless nights.

It can also prevent weight gain.

Can sport during pregnancy be harmful?

Otago University lecturer and doctor for the Black Ferns rugby team Sandy Webb says it depends entirely on the individual.

But she believes pregnant women should not be banned from sport.

"You cannot make a blanket ban. It is not realistic."

Some sports are more harmful than others. For example, she would give quite firm guidelines against playing rugby while pregnant, but netball is a grey area. It is labelled a non-contact sport, but involves a lot of jumping and changing direction.

New Zealand Medical Association chairman John Adams says that up to the first 14 weeks, the risks are less, but it is a matter for common sense. Gentle exercising is encouraged, but anything more could be harmful.

"When we are talking about competitive sport, it is risky," he says.

The foetus could get hit during a game, or bleeding could occur, causing a miscarriage.

Other dangers include overheating and long periods of anaerobic exercise - exercise using short bursts of energy - which could deprive a baby of oxygen. During pregnancy the body is also more prone to injury and balance is affected.

The Hillary Commission says pregnant women should avoid physical activity if they have some conditions, including high blood pressure while pregnant, a history of miscarriages and multiple pregnancies (ie twins or more).

What sports are beneficial?


* Walking will ease aching legs and sore backs and help maintain physical fitness.

* Jogging is good if you enjoy it, but some women find it too uncomfortable as they get bigger. Loss of bladder control can also be a problem.

* Swimming is excellent because it is easy on your body, with the water supporting most of your extra weight. Water should be of average temperature. It is safe while the pregnancy sac membranes are intact and there is no risk of premature labour.

* Low-impact aerobics and exercise programmes are fine. Some gyms run classes specifically for pregnant women. Yoga can be good too, but take time to find the right class and avoid excessive stretching, as your ligaments are softened by the hormones of pregnancy.

What sports should you avoid?

The Hillary Commission says you should aim to be active for 30 minutes most days of the week. Some of the sports it suggests avoiding include water-skiing, trampolining, gymnastics, sprinting and squash.

Also avoid contact sports and others that affect the oxygen supply to the baby like scuba diving, high mountain climbing and high altitudes generally.

If you experience bleeding or fluid discharge, pain, dizziness, fainting, persistent contraction or a reduction in your baby's movements, see your doctor.

Risks apart, what else can discourage pregnant women from sport or exercise? Waikato University's Dr Longhurst said her PhD, which she finished in 1997, looked at pregnant women's exclusion from public spaces and activities, including sport.

She interviewed 30 Hamilton women expecting their first child, and most who had been involved in sport said they felt confident continuing while pregnant.

Medical professionals had told them: "You are fine. Keep doing what you are doing."

Their loved ones, including husbands and friends, often objected, telling them they should take things easy.

Some kept playing until they were eight months pregnant, but many stopped quite early on.

"Women started to withdraw from many public places because of public opinion, not because they felt tired or sick."

Playing on regardless

Plenty of women play sport while they are pregnant.

Dame Susan Devoy

Devoy played in the New Zealand Squash Open in 1991 when she was three-and-a-half months pregnant with her first child.

She pulled out in the quarterfinals after not feeling well and miscarried soon after.

"I didn't find out I was pregnant until I was quite advanced," she said yesterday.

She had sought medical advice and there was no reason she could not play.

"I believe it is a woman's decision. It is about making an informed choice, and in the end I think good sense prevails."

In physical sports, such as squash and netball, playing against someone who is pregnant can be difficult, she said.

"I know a lot of girls on the circuit felt uncomfortable playing against me and you do have to take that into consideration. But outright banning pregnant women is a bit archaic."

Devoy, who has four sons, was also pregnant when she won her fourth World Open title in 1992.

"I found out I was pregnant after the tournament, but during the tournament I was probably only two or three weeks pregnant."

Erin Baker

The former New Zealand triathlete competed until she was 13 weeks pregnant with her first child.

"I had one final big race in Dallas, Texas, that I wanted to compete in, but if I had felt unwell then I wouldn't have done it."

She says athletes, especially women, tend to know their bodies and their limits better than anyone.

"By imposing bans, they are not giving credit to the female athlete's own intuition and knowledge of their bodies."

Tania Dalton

The former Silver Fern played for the Force in this year's Coca-Cola Cup until she was five months pregnant.

"Each week I followed the advice of my doctor, who was actually researching the issue at the time," she said. "Her findings were that there were no physical reasons why you shouldn't play."

It was not until the last three weeks of competition that her pregnancy became common knowledge, and even then she wasn't given any special treatment on court.

She described a couple of physical encounters with Capital Shakers' Lisa Bogiwalu and Flames' Vilimaina Davu.

"I think I hit the deck about five times against Davu so they certainly weren't going easy on me.

"People feeling funny about playing against me was an issue I was a bit worried about and could have been another reason to stop."

Dalton did however make herself unavailable for the Coca-Cola Cup playoffs.

Sarah Christie

Wellingtonian Christie competed in last year's Auckland half-marathon while six months pregnant.

The 27-year-old finished in one hour, 52 minutes - much slower than her winning effort in 1999.

After the race, Christie said she felt good at the end but the only annoying thing was she had to stop at two petrol stations, a restaurant and a cafe to go to the toilet.

Brenda Corrie Kuehn

The 36-year-old American played at the recent Women's US Golf Open while eight months pregnant.

Even with her shirt tucked in, her bulge was still prominent and her swing needed a series of alterations to get round it.

Michelle den Dekker

The Australian netballer led her side to victory in the 1995 World Championships in England while four months pregnant with her first child.

Jacqui Delaney

The Melbourne Thunderbird shooter announced she was four months pregnant at the end of the 1997 national netball league.

Robyn Maher

The Australian basketball captain played three-quarters of the 1989 domestic women's basketball league season with Nunawading Spectres while pregnant with her first child. She toured Japan in a series of international matches during that season.

Maher also played in the 1992 final for the Perth Breakers while pregnant with her second child.