Can childbirth boost an athlete's performance?

TOKYO: A series of successes by recent mothers has prompted questions whether childbirth, far from spelling the end of a sporting career, can actually boost an athlete's performance.

Paula Radcliffe's sensational New York marathon win this month, after having her first child in January, followed Jana Rawlinson's return from childbirth to win world 400-metre hurdles gold in Osaka in August.Japan also cheered as double Olympic judo champion Ryoko Tani won her seventh under-48kg world crown - and her first as a mum - in September.

All three said the rigours of pregnancy and labour had improved them as athletes by giving them more confidence and even making them stronger."I do think it gives you an extra inner strength as well and extra balance as a person," Paula said.

"Swollen breasts, a loose pelvis and, in the case of a Caesarian section, damaged abdominal muscles, pose a significant challenge to the returning sportswoman, affecting not just fitness but also balance, experts say."It is also quite tough to undergo full-scale training in parallel to breastfeeding," Akira Namba, a doctor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Saitama Medical University hospital, said.

However, modern training techniques and a growing scientific awareness are enabling many athletes to overcome the difficulties.

Pregnancy and childbirth are quite demanding on the body, so going through that must make somebody stronger afterwards," Patrick O'Brien of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists told the BBC.

One theory suggests that childbirth boosts athletic prowess by raising the flow of androgen and other hormones. In psychological terms, a new arrival in the family can have a positive effect on the athlete's awareness.

"There is some truth about them saying that mummies come back strong," a beaming Rawlinson said after her Osaka win."As a mummy, you can do anything." - AFP