Should you take pre workout while pregnant?

In our day-to-day lives, regular exercise and maintaining a proper diet can be beneficial especially when you are pregnant. If you work out regularly one thing that comes to mind is if you should use pre workout while you are pregnant.

Pre-workouts have gained so much popularity in the fitness regime is because of the energy they provide for your workout. They give you the energy to go for the workout even if you are not feeling like it.

Pre-workouts usually consist of various ingredients to boost up your energy some of which are caffeine, creatine, or beta-alanine. But there might be a turn of tables if you are pregnant. The concentrations of the ingredients could interfere with the health of the baby as well as the mother. Thus, it becomes important to consult your healthcare expert before consuming any pre workout while you are pregnant.

In this article, we will discuss about the risks of taking pre workout and can you take pre workout while pregnant.

---

Can you take pre workout while pregnant?

Pre-workout during pregnancy (Image by Freepik on Freepik)

If you are working out for longer hours then taking a pre-workout could be safe but again it should be in moderation and preferably allowed by your doctor. Now, if you are not pregnant then these things will not interfere with your workout, instead, they will only help you improve your performance.

It is important for a pregnant individual to consume pre workout with proper guidance and a focus on safety before consumption as it is an implicated topic and every manufacturer does not have a standardized list of ingredients. The quantity and form of some main ingredients like caffeine and amino acids depend on brand to brand which is why it is complicated to facilitate a fixed answer.

There exist supplements that claim to be safe for pregnant women but still, it is crucial to analyze the ingredients involved thoroughly. There has been a notion that revolves around supplements and i.e. "stim-free" labels, which means that it does not carry stimulants like caffeine but there is no guarantee for overall safety.

---

Risks of Taking Pre-Workout While Pregnant

It is important to analyze the list of ingredients (image by freepik)

While taking pre workout supplements, there are some risks involved for a pregnant individual that need some attention and they are:

---

Excessive caffeine content

Pre workout that contains high caffeine should not be consumed by pregnant individuals as it can be one of the reasons for the increased risk of pre-term birth. It can also affect the development of the baby as well as the heart rate and blood pressure of the mother.

---

Herbal Extracts and Additives

The baby may be at risk as some of the herbal extracts in the supplements may interfere or have some reaction causing trouble to the baby(Image by Freepik on Freepik)

There are supplements available in the market that contain several herbal extracts and additives that can be harmful for some pregnant individuals as it is not necessary for the herbal extracts and additives to suit everybody and lack of research on their effects during pregnancy can increase the risk of development of the baby.

---

Increased Heart Rate and Blood Pressure

Stimulants or vasodilators containing supplements can increase the rate of heart and blood pressure and in order to avoid this we should check the ingredients of the supplements properly as it can elevate the risk to both the mother and the baby.

---

Dehydration

Pre workout supplements can decrease hydration levels as they contain diuretic ingredients that lead to dehydration and as far as a pregnant individual is concerned, they are more prone to its complications.

---

In a nutshell, it is advised to engage in a balanced diet and exercise appropriate for pregnancy, consult a healthcare professional, and get personalized advice because of the possible risks from pre-workout supplements.