Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PRINCIPAL AUTHORS
Gregory A. L. Davies, MD, FRCSC, Kingston ON
Larry A.Wolfe, PhD, FACSM, Kingston ON
Michelle F. Mottola, PhD, London ON
Catherine MacKinnon, MD, FRCSC, Brantford ON
These guidelines reflect emerging clinical and scientific advances as of the date issued and are subject to change.The information should not be construed as
dictating an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed. Local institutions can dictate amendments to these opinions.They should be well doc-
umented if modified at the local level. None of the contents may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of SOGC.
The quality of evidence reported in these guidelines has been Recommendations included in these guidelines have been
described using the Evaluation of Evidence criteria outlined in adapted from the ranking method described in the
the Report of the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Classification of Recommendations found in the Canadian
Exam. Task Force on the Periodic Health Exam.
I: Evidence obtained from at least one properly randomized A. There is good evidence to support the recommendation
controlled trial. that the condition be specifically considered in a periodic
II-1: Evidence from well-designed controlled trials without health examination.
randomization. B. There is fair evidence to support the recommendation that
II-2: Evidence from well-designed cohort (prospective or the condition be specifically considered in a periodic health
retrospective) or case-control studies, preferably from examination.
more than one centre or research group. C. There is poor evidence regarding the inclusion or
II-3: Evidence obtained from comparisons between times or exclusion of the condition in a periodic health examination,
places with or without the intervention. Dramatic results but recommendations may be made on other grounds.
in uncontrolled experiments (such as the results of treat- D. There is fair evidence to support the recommendation
ment with penicillin in the 1940s) could also be included that the condition not be considered in a periodic health
in this category. examination.
III: Opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical E. There is good evidence to support the recommendation
experience, descriptive studies, or reports of expert that the condition be excluded from consideration in a
committees. periodic health examination.
WHEN AND HOW TO START AN EXERCISE PROGRAM ing women.24-28 Women who have been exercising prior to preg-
nancy may continue their exercise regimens throughout
Many women find that the best time to initiate an exercise pro- pregnancy using the guidelines outlined below.7,10-12,14 (II-1,2B)
gram is in the second trimester, when the nausea, vomiting, and When starting an aerobic exercise program, previously
profound fatigue of the first trimester have passed and before the sedentary women should begin with 15 minutes of continu-
physical limitations of the third trimester begin. Concerns about ous exercise three times a week, increasing gradually to
the teratogenic effect of high core body temperatures in the early 30-minute sessions four times a week.19,20,29-31 Episodic max-
first trimester have not been demonstrated in studies of exercis- imal exercise by pregnant women in a research setting appears
TABLE 1
CONTRAINDICATIONS TO EXERCISE IN PREGNANCY
Absolute Contraindications Relative Contraindications
Ruptured membranes Previous spontaneous abortion
Preterm labour Previous preterm birth
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy Mild/moderate cardiovascular disorder
Incompetent cervix Mild/moderate respiratory disorder
Growth restricted fetus Anemia (Hb <100 g/L)
High order multiple gestation ( triplets) Malnutrition or eating disorder
Placenta previa after 28th week Twin pregnancy after 28th week
Persistent 2nd or 3rd trimester bleeding Other significant medical conditions
Uncontrolled type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease,
or other serious cardiovascular, respiratory,
or systemic disorder
Reprinted and modified with permission from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.23
to be safe for mother and fetus.32,33 Reasonable goals of aero- EXERCISE INTENSITY
bic conditioning in pregnancy would be to maintain a good
fitness level throughout pregnancy without trying to reach peak There is an increase of 10 to 15 beats per minute in resting heart
fitness or train for an athletic competition (II-1,2C). Elite ath- rate in pregnancy.40,41 However, at maximal exercise levels, there
letes who continue to train during pregnancy require supervi- is a blunted heart rate response as compared to the nonpreg-
sion by an obstetric care provider with knowledge of the impact nant state.40,41 Therefore, it is suggested that the use of con-
of strenuous exercise on maternal and fetal outcomes. Women ventional heart rate target zones be modified to account for this
with special needs may require a referral to a physiotherapist, reduction in maximal heart rate reserve.23,36 (III-C) A modified
exercise physiologist, or sports medicine specialist to develop version of the conventional age-corrected heart rate target zone
an appropriate exercise program. can be found in Table 2.23,36
Other measures of exercise intensity include the talk test
RECOMMENDATION and a visual rating of perceived exertion (see Borgs rating,
2. Reasonable goals of aerobic conditioning in pregnancy below). As the term talk test implies, the woman is exercising
should be to maintain a good fitness level throughout at a comfortable intensity if she is able to maintain a conversa-
pregnancy without trying to reach peak fitness or train tion during exercise, and should reduce the exercise intensity if
for an athletic competition. (II-1,2C) this is not possible. Exercising women can also use a visual scale
to assess their exercise intensity.20 A target rating of 12 to 14 on
Women should choose activities that will minimize the risk Borgs scale of perceived exertion is suggested during preg-
of loss of balance and fetal trauma. Brisk walking, stationary nancy.23,36,42 (III-C)
cycling, cross-country skiing, swimming, or aquafit are aero-
bic exercises that cause less trauma to the joints and ligaments BORGS RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION42
and less bouncing up and down of the centre of gravity than
running or jogging.34 It is suggested that a warm-up and cool- 6
down period be included in any exercise regimen. (III-C) 7 very, very light
8
RECOMMENDATION
9 somewhat light
3. Women should choose activities that will minimize the 10
risk of loss of balance and fetal trauma. (III-C) 11 fairly light
12
There is less evidence on strength conditioning and weight 13 somewhat hard
training in pregnancy.10,35 Some women may experience symp- 14
tomatic hypotension from compression of the vena cava by the 15 hard
pregnant uterus and should modify these exercises to avoid the 16
supine position after approximately 16 weeks gestation.36 The 17 very hard
ability to perform abdominal strengthening exercises may be 18
impeded by the development of diastasis recti and associated 19 very, very hard
abdominal muscle weakness.37-39 (II-2C, III-C) 20
Stretching and strength training exercises such as yoga and A rating of 1214 is appropriate for most pregnant women.
Pilates have not been studied in a pregnant population.