Pregnancy, Spontaneous Abortion, Buteyko and Breathing Retraining

(Learning the Buteyko method by modules)

(Module 8a. Restrictions, side effects, limits, and temporary contraindications)

The main danger during pregnancy is spontaneous abortion that can happen due to a cleansing reaction caused by very fast progress in body-oxygen test results due to breathing retraining.

Imagine a pregnant woman who starts with about 10-12 s CP. Note that hyperventilation, hypocapnia, reduced perfusion, hypoxemia, headaches, cramps, and many other effects of hyperventilation (hypertension, asthma, poor blood sugar control, anxiety, coughing, and many other effects) are common in pregnant females these days. Then assume that she achieves 35-40 s for the body-oxygen test in 4-6 days due to intensive breathing retraining.

Her automatic or unconscious breathing pattern becomes much slower and lighter. Body oxygenation gets much higher. The immune system becomes highly sensitive to abnormal tissues and is able to reject transplanted organs, as we considered above. Similarly, the immune system at higher CPs can easily reject an embryo at the state when it is not yet attached to the womb of the mother (the first trimester of the pregnancy), as Buteyko breathing doctors discovered during the 1960's. The chances of spontaneous abortion are much higher, if the growing embryo accumulated medical drugs or if the mother have been taking medication before and immediately after getting pregnant.

In order to prevent this scenario, the pregnant woman should have a defensive program of breathing retraining based on prevention of large CP fluctuations or CP losses (episodes of hyperventilation) due to overeating, mouth breathing, supine sleep, poor posture, morning hyperventilation, etc. The rate of CP progress while learning the Buteyko technique or using breathing devices (the Frolov device or DIY breathing device) should be limited:
- for women who used medical drugs for long time or were exposed to toxic chemicals by 2 s in one week;
- for other pregnant women by 3 s in one week.

Reference pages: Breathing norms and medical facts:
- Breathing norms: Parameters, graph, and description of the normal breathing pattern
- 6 breathing myths: Myths and superstitions about breathing and body oxygenation (prevalence: over 90%)
- Hyperventilation: Definitions of hyperventilation: their advantages and weak points
- Hyperventilation syndrome: Western scientific evidence about prevalence of chronic hyperventilation in patients with chronic conditions (37 medical studies)
- Normal minute ventilation: Small and slow breathing at rest is enjoyed by healthy subjects (14 studies)
- Hyperventilation prevalence: Present in over 90% of normal people (24 medical studies)
- HV and hypoxia: How and why deep breathing reduces oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs
- Body-oxygen test (CP test) : How to measure your own breathing and body oxygenation (two in one) using a simple DIY test
- Body oxygen in healthy: Results for the body-oxygen test for healthy people (27 medical studies)
- Body oxygen in sick : Results for the body-oxygen test for sick people (14 medical studies)
- Buteyko Table of Health Zones: Clinical description and ranges for breathing zones: from the critically ill (severely sick) up to super healthy people with maximum possible body oxygenation
- Morning hyperventilation: Why people feel worse and critically ill people are most likely to die during early morning hours

References: pages about CO2 effect:
- Vasodilation: CO2 expands arteries and arterioles facilitating perfusion (or blood supply) to all vital organs
- The Bohr effect: How and why oxygen is released by red blood cells in tissues
- Cell oxygen levels: How alveolar CO2 influences oxygen transport
- Oxygen transport: O2 transport is controlled by vasoconstriction-vasodilation and the Bohr effects, both of which rely on CO2
- Free radical generation: Reactive oxygen species are produced within cells due to anaerobic cell respiration caused by cell hypoxia
- Inflammatory response: Chronic inflammation in fueled by the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, while normal breathing reduces and eliminates inflammation
- Nerve stabilization: People remain calm due to calmative or sedative effects of carbon dioxide in neurons or nerve cells
- Muscle relaxation: Relaxation of muscle cells is normal at high CO2, while hypocapnia causes muscular tension, poor posture and, sometimes, aggression and violence
- Bronchodilation: Dilation of airways (bronchi and bronchioles) is caused by carbon dioxide, and their constriction by hypocapnia (low CO2)
- Blood pH: Regulation of blood pH due to breathing and regulation of other bodily fluids
- CO2: lung damage: Elevated carbon dioxide prevents lung injury and promotes healing of lung tissues
- CO2: Topical carbon dioxide can heal skin and tissues
- Synthesis of glutamine in the brain, CO2 fixation, and other chemical reactions
- Deep breathing myth: Ignorant and naive people promote the idea that deep breathing and breathing more air at rest is beneficial for health
- Breathing control: How is our breathing regulated? Why hypocapnia makes breathing uneven, irregular and erratic.

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