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In an article about whether it is safe for pregnant women to cycle, a woman who is no longer pregnant ( she has recently given birth to her second child) says: "I have cycled during both pregnancies".
Why does she use present perfect when she is no longer pregnant? "During both pregnancies" is in the past, so shouldn't simple past be used? Isn't "during both pregnancies" a specific time expression?
She could have used "I cycled" in the past tense.
She is referring to her condition, and not the time so I think her sentence is acceptable.
Consider:
I have fallen over while ice-skating.
The phrase "while ice skating" doesn't refer to a particular time (I have been ice skating many times) and the sentence means "falling over while skating is something I have experienced."
Similarly the woman means "being pregnant and cycling is something I have experienced". The phrase "during both pregnancies" is telling us about her state, and not the time. So I think her sentence is acceptable.
