New Study: Too Much Sitting Doubles Pregnancy Risks for Iowa Moms

Expecting mothers in Iowa have long heard the old advice to take it easy and put their feet up. But a new study turns that conventional wisdom on its head, and the findings hit close to home.

Women who sit for more than 10 hours a day face twice the risk of serious pregnancy complications compared to those who sit less and move more, according to research published recently in JAMA. The study tracked 470 women in their first trimester, including participants from Iowa, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The complications are no small matter. Researchers linked prolonged sitting to gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth. These are conditions that can put both mother and baby at serious risk, and they have become far more common over the last two decades.

Double the Risk for Sedentary Moms

The numbers are striking. Two out of five women who sat for 10 or more hours a day experienced a pregnancy complication. For women who sat around seven hours daily, that number dropped to just one in five.