Can pregnant women exercise?
What is the recommended intensity of exercise during pregnancy, especially during the 3rd trimester?
What are the physical activity guidelines during pregnancy/post-partum?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends regular, moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 20 to 30 min per day on most or all days of the week during pregnancy and postpartum period. These recommendations are suggested to prevent complications during pregnancy such as the development of:
- Diabetes
- Increased blood pressure or hypertensive disorders
- Any fetal growth impairments, and
- Increased weight gain
- Mood disorders
However, most pregnant women are not able to meet the recommend physical activity guidelines, regardless of their prior physical activity level. Only 23-29% of women in the United States meet the suggested physical activity guidelines during their pregnancy. Possible reasons include the lack of understanding of physical activity-related benefits to the mother and child, and most likely a fear of harming the child with increased physical activity. There is also evidence to suggest that most post-partum women are unable to return to their earlier physical activity levels for reasons such as lack of time, fatigue, or depressive symptoms.
Here are 3 Tips to include Safe Ways to Exercise during Pregnancy/Post-partum
- Quantify your weekly physical activity.
20-30 minutes per day of aerobic exercise is recommended during pregnancy and postpartum period. Aerobic activities such as walking, cycling, swimming, dancing and aerobic exercise have been found to be useful. Increasing overall physical activity including your leisure time, occupational, and household activity can be of significant benefit as well.
2. Understand the intensity of your exercise.
In general, moderate intensity of exercise is best tolerated by women during pregnancy and postpartum period. An indication of an appropriate workload is if you feel that you are working at a ‘somewhat hard’ level and are able to hold a conversation during your workout with minimal difficulty. Vigorous levels of exercise, although found to be safe, have not been found to be additionally useful during pregnancy except in decreasing the overall gestational weight gain. Consistent vigorous levels of exercise are recommended to only be undertaken in monitored environment. Therefore, to learn other ways to exercise safely, consult a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor rehabilitation.
3. Progress your physical activity or the exercise program gradually.
Adjusting the workout frequencies, session length, intensity, overall combined volume of each of the previous factor and the type of exercise are all ways to progress your program. Overall, progressing difficulty gradually over weeks, not days, will increase workloads without negative, and potentially dangerous, side effects. If unsure, consult a physical therapist for ways to modify your exercises for the next level.
Please NOTE that several studies have demonstrated that active pregnant women appear to be at lower risk of preterm labor, undergoing a cesarean section and are at no greater risk of preterm delivery than the inactive women.
If you have any symptoms including pain, bleeding, incontinence or sexual dysfunction during pregnancy or postpartum, please consult your doctor prior to beginning exercise.
Hope you find these pearls useful! Also, check out the ‘Research Reviews tab’ for critiques on literature reviews on pregnancy related physical activity guidelines. If you found this article useful in your routine practice, please give me some examples or comments by writing in the section below. Look forward to our many discussions!
Written by:
Hina Garg
PT, MS, PhD, NCS, CEEAA
Associate professor
MS PT & Wellness Center Director
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
References:
1. Kassia S. Beetham, Courtney Giles, Michael Noetel, Vicki Clifton, Jacqueline C. Jones, Geraldine Naughton. The effects of vigorous intensity exercise in the third trimester of pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2019;19(1):1-18. doi:10.1186/s12884-019-2441-1.
2. DIPIETRO L, EVENSON KR, BLOODGOOD B, et al. Benefits of Physical Activity during Pregnancy and Postpartum: An Umbrella Review. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2019;(6):1292. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001941.
3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Website. Available from: https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Physical-Activity-and-Exercise-During-Pregnancy-and-the-Postpartum-Period.