Is taking up cycling a good idea?

[Clarabella81]

Hi all, I have just signed up to my employers cycle to work scheme and picked out a bike and have just found out I'm pregnant! Now I'm in a dilemma, I haven't cycled in years so should I leave it or get the bike and use it for exercising? What do you all think?

Any new exercise regime when pregnant should be talked through with your GP, if you're pretty active anyway then I expect it wouldn't be a problem you just have to be aware, take it easy and listen to your body.
Congrats on your pregnancy

Hi Op,

I was extremely active prior to been pregnant and therefore could continue at that rate when I discovered I was pregnant. Exercise in preganacy us recommended.

However if you have not been active prior to been pregnant then you need to discuss his with your GP or a professional instructor. You also need to find out what heart rate is safe for you and baby (140 bpm etc) whilst exercising bearing in mind you are starting a new exercise regime which your body is not used to.

I was a keen cyclist before getting preggers and continued for the first few weeks until I felt to grim and too uncomfortable to keep up with it. It also depends very much on how competent a cyclist you are and where you would be cycling- if there's any risk of falling then it's best avoided.

Hi,although I'm not pregnant (yet!) was searching on MN for views on cycling and this came up!

I cycle everyday to and from work and last Tuesday my bike slipped from underneath me in the damp weather!I caught the inside of my groin and lower pelvic region on my saddle and it really hurt me.Stopped cycling the rest of the week and it still hurts to walk.

It has really made me think as although I would love to keep doing cycling initially if I did get pregnant, the risk of falling and the injuries as a result are what I would be wary of. My DH is now worried about me cycling but we have agreed that I will stop when I get my BFP (hopefully not too far away!).

If you're relatively fit anyway, I would contemplate an exercise bike to keep the fitness up and then post pregnancy you could use you bike then?

I used to cycle a bit at the gym and do spin classes, not all the time but was no stranger to it. Bought an exercise bike to use at home in pregnancy but got SPD after 10 minutes on it :( so I'd just say be careful.
Looking forward to using it to get the baby weight off!

Sky. I am one of the lucky ones that hasn't developed SPD. I carried on doing soon classes and biking in the gym. I am 37+4 and I am still inthe gym (bike, treadmill, stepper). It really depends on your fitness level and I would advise a session with an instructor so they can write a pregnancy program suitable for your fitness level.

I stopped road bikes in my mid 20 weeks because if fears I may fall.

I continued cycling for the first 10 weeks of my pregnancy with no problems whatsoever, and I wasn't exactly taking it easy (28 mile rides on weekends).
Just bear in mind that a) Your uterus/ fetus becomes more vulnerable to harm after 12 weeks when it rises above your pubic bone - which is when you might want to take it easier on the roads.
b) The advice to keep your HR below 140 is 30 years old and not really used any more. Besides which, during pregnancy your HR will be higher for the same amount of activity because your body is working harder and there's more blood to pump around. Just listen to your body and take rests and lots of fluids.

I still cycle at 29 weeks, but only when there is no alternative as I'm a bit worried about the falling risk. Having said that, I've been a daily cyclist for nearly 20 years now and I know how to cycle very very carefully if I need to. So when I'm actually on my bike I never feel in danger. If I wasn't such a confident cyclist, I'm not sure I'd take the risk at this stage.

I cycled up to 39 weeks with both pregnancies, to and from work and into town for shopping. I live in an area that is very flat and there are a lot of cyclists and bike paths so I could avoid heavy traffic. If you are used to cycling and keep it up you adjust your balance as you grow bigger. It was no more physical effort than walking and I found it easier than walking when I had SPD in my first pregnancy.

In countries like Holland and Denmark women cycle when pregnant all the time. I think the dangers posed by falling are overstated but if I lived in a big city with a lot of traffic I probably would not have carried on.

Whether you should get the bike really depends on how fit you are and the road circumstances where you live but I wouldn't rule it out just because you are pg. Have fun!

I know a lot of people who have cycled all the way through their pregnancies but they were all keen and regular cyclists beforehand.

I think a lot depends where you'll be cycling - anywhere with a lot of traffic it's so important to be confident and assertive - I normally enjoy that aspect but I think pregnancy might shake my confidence a bit and as a result I don't think I will be as safe. If you haven't cycled for a while it takes time to develop confidence as well.