Vaginal bleeding is scary when you're pregnant, and if you experience it, you should call your health care provider immediately. That said, just because you experience bleeding during your pregnancy doesn't mean that your pregnancy is in trouble. If you've been sticking with your regular workout routine and doing situps while you're pregnant, you may want to change your workout, whether you have bleeding issues or not.
Situps During Pregnancy
Most doctors don't recommend situps after your first trimester -- not because of the risk of bleeding but because lying on your back after your third month of pregnancy may block the flow of oxygen to your baby, explains obstetrician Jeanne-Marie Guise on BabyCenter.com, a health and parenting information site for new and expecting parents. The growing weight of your uterus puts pressure on your blood vessels, and in some cases, it can restrict the flow of blood -- and oxygen -- to your developing baby. Once your pregnancy starts to show, doing situps can also become pretty difficult.
Bleeding After Situps
It's unlikely that doing situps during pregnancy will cause vaginal bleeding, but two to three out of every 10 pregnant women will experience bleeding sometime during pregnancy, according to March of Dime estimates. Light bleeding during your first trimester is fairly common and can be caused by a number of nonproblematic issues, including changes in your cervix and uterus as your body starts to prepare for pregnancy. In some cases, first trimester bleeding can mean a miscarriage, but at least half the time, bleeding during the first trimester doesn't mean you're having a miscarriage. Later in your pregnancy, bleeding -- after situps or otherwise -- can be caused by pregnancy-related health issues. Near the end of your pregnancy, bleeding can be a sign that your body is about to go into labor.
What to Do
If you experience vaginal bleeding after doing situps, call your health care provider immediately. You should call even if the bleeding stops or only lasts a short time. If you're bleeding a lot or your bleeding is accompanied by pain and you can't get in touch with your health care provider immediately, visit the emergency room. Your doctor will probably give you a routine physical exam and an ultrasound and test your blood and urine to determine the cause of the bleeding. Follow your doctor's advice for the best way to manage your bleeding; she's in the best position to help you manage your particular pregnancy in the healthiest way for you and your baby.
Situp Alternative
Situps aren't dangerous during pregnancy, but they can become harder to do as your pregnancy progresses. And if you've experienced bleeding after doing situps, your doctor may recommend removing them from your workout routine -- or you may want to remove them yourself to ease your mind. If you want to exercise your abdominal muscles without doing situps, try getting down on all fours and alternating arching and dropping your back, recommends obstetrician Raul Artal on BabyCenter.com.
