Exercise in Pregnancy

Vanessa H Gregg; James E Ferguson 2nd

doi:10.1016/j.csm.2017.05.005

Exercise in Pregnancy

Clin Sports Med. 2017 Oct;36(4):741-752. doi: 10.1016/j.csm.2017.05.005.

Authors

Vanessa H Gregg¹, James E Ferguson 2nd²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA. Electronic address: Vanessa.Gregg@virginia.edu.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

PMID: 28886825
DOI: 10.1016/j.csm.2017.05.005

Abstract

Routine exercise should be recommended to healthy pregnant women after consultation with an obstetric provider. Even pregnant women who have not been exercising regularly can gradually increase their exercise during pregnancy. Regular exercise during pregnancy promotes overall wellness and helps maintain appropriate gestational weight gain and appropriate fetal weight gain. Exercise in pregnancy may also reduce hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes, and may be associated with shorter first stage of labor and decreased risk for cesarean section. Exercise in pregnancy is safe for pregnant women and their fetuses and can have multiple health benefits.

Keywords: Exercise; Fetal outcomes; Maternal outcomes; Pregnancy.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
Exercise / physiology*
Female
Fetal Development
Humans
Pregnancy / physiology*
Pregnancy Outcome
Weight Gain*