Exercise during pregnancy is important to improve the pregnancy outcome. Here you find contraindications to exercise during pregnancy.

Absolute Contraindications to Exercise during Pregnancy

  • Hemodynamically significant heart disease
  • Restrictive lung disease
  • Incompetent cervix
  • Multiple gestation at risk for premature labor
  • Persistent second or third trimester bleeding
  • Placenta previa after 26 weeks of gestation
  • Premature labor during the current pregnancy
  • Ruptured membranes
  • Pre-eclampsia/pregnancy-induced hypertension

Relative Contraindications to Exercise During Pregnancy

  • Severe anemia
  • Unevaluated maternal cardiac arrhythmia
  • Chronic bronchitis
  • Poorly controlled type 1 diabetes
  • Extreme morbid obesity 
  • Extreme underweight (BMI<12)
  • History of extremely sedentary lifestyle
  • Intrauterine growth restriction in current pregnancy
  • Poorly controlled hypertension
  • Orthopedic limitations
  • Poorly controlled seizure disorder
  • Poorly controlled hyperthyroidism
  • Heavy smoker
  • Third trimester breech presentation
  • Multiple pregnancy (>twins)

Reason to terminate exercise during pregnancy

  • Vaginal bleeding
  • Dyspnea prior to exertion
  • Dizziness or faintness
  • Headache or visual disturbance
  • Unexplained abdominal pain
  • Muscle weakness
  • Swelling of ankles, hands, or face
  • Swelling, pain, and redness in the calf of one leg
  • Preterm labor, persistent contractions (> 6-8/h)
  • Decreased fetal movement
  • Amniotic fluid leakage
  • Elevated pulse or blood pressure persisting after exercise
  • Fatigue, palpitations, chest pain
  • Insufficient weight gain(<1.0kg/month during last two trimesters)

(ACOG, 2002; ACOG, 2003; Davies et al., 2003; Paisley, 2003)

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