Pregnancy in Spanish elite sportswomen: A qualitative study

Abstract

Pregnancy and motherhood have been historically considered as reasons why elite sportswomen may end their sport careers. During pregnancy, the safety of both mother and baby has been identified as a key reason for ceasing sport participation. Recent "official" statistics on how many elite athletes are mothers suggest that pregnancy, motherhood, and sport could be no longer mutually exclusive. The aim of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived pregnancy of Spanish elite sportswomen. Spanish elite sportswomen (n = 20) aged between 18 and 65 years that had been pregnant during their sporting professional career and after the end of their pregnancy had taken up again their professional sporting career for at least one year were included. Data were collected from May 2010 to April 2012 using in-depth personal interviews, investigator's field notes, and extracts from the participants' personal letters. Identified themes included: (1) choosing the right moment; (2) fears and doubts; and (3) justifying physical exercise. By giving voice to these elite Spanish sportswomen, their pregnancy experiences are made visible, which might help to gain a better understanding into their expectations and develop policies and practices focused on elite sportswomen during and after pregnancy.

Past physical activity and its influence on female functioning during perimenopause

“…Other causes also include loss of physical ability during pregnancy and thus fear of the return to full physical fitness, required in elite sports. An equally important problem is the economic situation of athletes, including maintaining grants or sponsorship irrespective of the absence [30,31]. In the literature, there is a great deal of evidence that an active lifestyle is a factor that has beneficial effects on the process of ageing, while physical activity, which is one of its elements, brings more positive than negative consequences.…”

Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes of Pregnant Indian Pilgrims: A three-year experience at the Indian Hajj Medical Mission

“…25 However, there is an incr-e360 | SQU Medical Journal, August 2018, Volume 18, Issue 3 easing body of evidence that women who participate in sustained and vigorous physical activity in the first and second trimester, such as high-performance sports and endurance training, have successful fetomaternal outcomes. [25][26][27] Nevertheless, pregnant pilgrims run the risk of the spontaneous onset of labour during Hajj rituals, resulting in unattended delivery. Furthermore, other complications like anaemia, pre-eclampsia, GDM and hypothyroidism can have adverse fetomaternal outcomes.…”

Financial well-being of sportswomen

“…Mogaji et al (2020) also highlighted the prospects of increasing financial sustainability of sportswomen by enhancing their brands and becoming a brand ambassador. Martínez-Pascual et al (2017) and Tekavc et al (2020) explored pregnancy in Spanish and Slovenian elite sportswomen respectively and its impact on their financial well-being, indicating that pregnant sportswomen may lose their financial support, making them more financially vulnerable.…”