The following guidelines are for women who
do not have any risk factors for adverse maternal or perinatal outcomes:
1. During
pregnancy, women can continue to exercise and derive health benefits from
participating in mild to moderate intensity exercise routines.
2. Working heart
rate should be measured during peak levels of activity to ensure that exercise
intensity is within the desired range.
3. Regular
exercise (at least three times per week) is preferable to intermittent
activity.
4. Extremes of
joint flexion and extension (Such as deep knee bends and ballistic
hyperextension of the knee) should be avoided.
5. Pregnant women
should avoid exercising in the supine position (on their backs) after the
first trimester.
6. Prolonged
periods of motionless standing should be avoided.
7. Pregnant women
should be aware of the decreased oxygen available for aerobic exercise and
should be encouraged to modify exercise intensity according to maternal
symptoms. Pregnant women should stop exercising when fatigued and not exercise
to exhaustion.
8. Avoid exercises
in which loss of balance could be detrimental to maternal or fetal well-being,
especially in the third trimester. Any type of exercise involving the
potential for even mild abdominal trauma should be avoided.
9. Women who
exercise during pregnancy should be particularly careful to ensure an adequate
diet.
10. Women should
gradually increase exercise intensity after delivery.
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension
- Preterm rupture of membranes
- Preterm labor during the prior or current pregnancy
- Incompetent cervix/cerclage
- Persistent second- or third-trimester bleeding
- Intrauterine growth retardation
In addition, women with certain other medical or
obstetric conditions, including chronic hypertension or active thyroid,
cardiac, vascular or pulmonary disease should be evaluated carefully in order
to determine whether an exercise program is appropriate.
