Car racing is a male-dominated sport but today more and more women are participating in this high-risk, fast-paced activity. Car racing while pregnant holds not only a high risk of injury to you but also your unborn baby. Consequently, it’s wise to stay away from car racing while pregnant. The potential for collision when driving a racecar is great and that could instantly result in abdominal trauma.

During pregnancy, there are two people to consider, not just one: the mother and the baby. Consequently, doctors generally recommend that you should avoid any sort of high-risk activities because some that can potentially harm you can also harm your baby. The potential to cause injury to your baby is too great to risk it.

One quick crash into a guardrail or one hit by another vehicle could easily cause trauma to your stomach, which could injure the baby, or placenta, or lead to premature labor. Keep in mind also that the further along the pregnant woman is, the greater the threat to the baby would be should an accident occur.

Attending Car Racing Events While Pregnant

Loud Noises

Even attending car racing events requires taking certain precautions. The level of noise at these events is a concern. During pregnancy, loud noise can affect your hearing and increase your stress levels. Amniotic fluid protects your growing baby only to some extent. Amniotic fluid slightly muffles noises that are high pitched. But studies have shown that it also amplifies noises in the low range and loud noise can negatively affect the growing fetus. So to be safe when pregnant, avoid any situation that exposes your baby to loud noise for extended time periods.

Toxic Fumes

There’s no avoiding the chemical stew in the environment today and some of these chemicals can affect reproductive health in women and men. This effect on the health of mothers, fathers, and babies in utero has prompted the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to call for stricter policies concerning environmental chemicals, identification of the riskiest chemicals and the levels at which they become dangerous, and ways to reduce exposure to them.

The exhaust fumes that are emitted from the car at racing events have the potential to be toxic. Some professional car racing drivers have even retired due to the inhalation of the fumes, which they say have caused chronic carbon monoxide poisoning. They often compare the feeling they get from inhaling the fumes to having a hangover or food poisoning. In any case, it is not something you want to willingly expose your baby to, so skipping a car race during pregnancy is the safest way to protect your growing baby.