What's a Safe Heart Rate for Exercise During Pregnancy?

Here's what the experts say about keeping a safe heart rate with exercise during pregnancy.

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If you're looking to have an active pregnancy, you may wonder whether you have to think about your heart rate while exercising. The good news is that you don't have to get hung up on monitoring your heart rate when you're exercising to stay safe during pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) encourages all pregnant people to exercise for at least 150 minutes every week and does not put any specific guidelines or limitations on heart rate during exercise while pregnant.

The ACOG also explains that all pregnant people can expect that their heart rate will naturally increase during pregnancy. That means that depending on what your heart rate was before pregnancy, your heart rate could reach 170 or more while exercising in a pregnant state.

Always talk to a health care provider about your plans for working out during pregnancy, but here are some general tips that could help you determine if your heart rate while exercising during pregnancy is in the right range.

Your Heart Rate During Pregnancy

One of the main reasons it can be difficult to track a "healthy" heart rate during pregnancy is that pregnancy itself changes the demand on the heart and circulatory system.

Being pregnant means that your cardiac output (the amount of effort your heart has to put out to pump blood through your heart and body) increases by 30% to 50% as your blood volume (the amount of blood you have in your body) just about doubles as well.

All that extra blood means that your heart rate will naturally increase during pregnancy. According to the ACOG, a person's heart rate can increase by:

  • 3–5% in the first trimester
  • 10–15% in the second trimester
  • 15–20% in the third trimester

That's all to say that pregnancy alone can raise your resting heart rate to higher levels than before pregnancy, so your heart rate while exercising during pregnancy will most likely be higher than it was before you were pregnant, too.

Your doctor or midwife will keep a careful eye on your heart health, including your heart rate and blood pressure, during each pregnancy check-up, so be sure to keep all your scheduled appointments and keep your health care provider updated if you are having any discomfort with activity or exercise.

How High Is Too High for Your Heart Rate While Pregnant?

The short answer: The "safe" limit for a heart rate during pregnancy may be different for everyone.

"There isn't a hard-and-fast rule for heart rate anymore because it's not always a good indicator of how hard you're working," says Annette Lang, a New York City fitness expert specializing in pre- and postnatal training.

Additionally, everyone, pregnant or not, has an individual baseline heart rate that is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all for a healthy heart rate.

Your "target" heart rate, which the American Heart Association explains is something you can use to help guide your activity levels, also varies by age. For a non-pregnant person, your maximum heart rate is approximately 220 minus your age.

As an example, if you are 30 years old, your non-pregnant max heart rate would be 190. But because pregnancy can increase your rate on its own, you may be more comfortable keeping a max heart rate of 170 while exercising if you're pregnant.

But again, everyone is different and you'll want to talk to your own doctor about what is best for you.

Focus on Exercise Intensity Instead of Heart Rate

Rather than focusing on a heart rate limit, pregnant people should work out at a moderate level in ways that they are used to exercising before they became pregnant, according to Lang.

How do you know if you're exercising moderately? Use the "talk test" as a measure of exertion: You should be slightly breathless but still able to carry on a conversation, says Jon Snyder, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the New York University School of Medicine. If you're panting, slow things down; if you're able to chat easily, ramp your effort up.

Safe Exercises for Pregnancy

As long as you feel OK, it's probably safe to continue with the activities you were doing prior to pregnancy, including running, swimming, and spinning, says Lang. You may just need to take the intensity down a notch as your pregnancy progresses through each trimester.

Most importantly, be sure to listen to your body and do what's best for you and your baby. When in doubt, consult a health care provider if you have any symptoms while exercising or experience cramping, fluid leaking, or pain.

You may also need to tailor exercising during pregnancy based on how your pregnancy progresses and even things like the weather. Hot weather and pregnancy could mean it's time to rest more and hydrate!

How to Know if Your Heart Rate Is Too High

The best way to know if your heart rate might be too high during pregnancy is to stay in touch with a health care provider and reach out if you have any concerns. How you feel could also be a good indicator.

For instance, if you've been exercising a long time or are an athlete already, you may find that getting your heart up isn't particularly taxing. But if you're newer to exercise, even a slight increase could be uncomfortable. Add in pregnancy, which already raises your heart rate on its own, and you could really be feeling your chest thumping.

You should also stop exercising during pregnancy if you feel any potentially worrisome symptoms.

When to Seek Medical Attention

According to ACOG, you should seek medical attention right away if you have any of the following symptoms while exercising during pregnancy:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Amniotic fluid leakage
  • Calf pain or swelling
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Dyspnea before exertion
  • Headache
  • Muscle weakness that is affecting your balance
  • Regular painful contractions
  • Vaginal bleeding

The important thing to remember is that pregnancy can increase your heart rate on its own, so if you are exercising while pregnant, be sure to keep in touch with your doctor and stop any activity that makes you feel uncomfortable.

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