Cardiovascular fitness depends on your heart’s ability to pump blood throughout the body efficiently delivering oxygen to your organs, lungs, etc. When you become pregnant, your heart works overtime pumping extra blood (50% more blood than you normally have!) The biggest physical change that you might notice is an elevated resting and working heart rate. The average pregnant woman’s heart beats about 15 beats per minute
Cardiovascular changes during pregnancy*:
- Increased volume of circulatory system
- Increased blood volume
- Increased heart rate at rest
- Decreased blood pressure
Effects of cardiovascular change on your daily exercise
- Increased fatigue and reduced stamina
- Heart rate response will be higher for same workloads compared to when you are not pregnant
- Blood pressure may drop with changes in position such as laying on your back and standing up quickly
Effects of exercise on the cardiovascular changes of pregnancy
- Increased blood volume
- Improved oxygen delivery
- Increased blood vessel growth
- Increased circulatory reserve
*adapted from the Prenatal and Postpartum Exercise Design curriculum by Gwen Hyatt, MS and Catherine Cram, MS
Depending on what your doctor tells you to do, you might want to buy a heart rate monitor to see how your body is responding to your workouts. Click here for more info on heart rate monitors.
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