Exercise 'helps with labour pain'

Labour could be a much easier process for women who have regularly taken aquarobic classes during their pregnancy compared with women who have not, according to new research.

A study found that only 27 per cent of women who took part in the classes three times a week during pregnancy requested pain relief compared with 65 per cent of women who did not do the exercises.

A total of 71 women took part in the study by experts from the University of Campinas in Sao Paulo, Brazil. All the women were less than 20 weeks pregnant at the start of the study and in good health.

The women were split into two groups, with one group undertaking 50 minutes of aquarobics three times a week, while the other group did not do any regular physical exercise during their pregnancy.

The researchers, writing in the journal Reproductive Health, noted there was no difference between the groups in terms of how long their labour lasted or whether they required a Caesarean section.

They concluded: "The regular practice of moderate water aerobics by sedentary and low-risk pregnant women was not detrimental to the health of the mother or the child.

"There was no influence on maternal cardiovascular capacity, duration of labour or type of delivery; however, there were fewer requests for analgesia during labour in the water aerobics group."

Copyright Press Association 2008

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