Physical activity


  • Staying active is healthy and safe for most pregnant women.
  • Exercise helps build your energy and stamina for childbirth.
  • Try to get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days.

Conditions that make exercise dangerous during pregnancy

If you have any of the conditions below, do not exercise. Check with your health care provider.
  • Heart disease
  • Lung disease
  • Incompetent cervix: The cervix is the narrow, outer end of the uterus. If it is weak, it cannot hold the fetus in the uterus.
  • Preterm labor (before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy)
  • Multiple pregnancy (twins, triplets or more) at risk for preterm labor
  • Frequent bleeding from the vagina during months 4-9 of pregnancy
  • Placenta previa: The placenta connects the baby's blood supply to the mother's blood. Attached to the mother's uterus, it is an unborn baby's lifeline. Placenta previa is a low-lying placenta that covers part or all of the cervix. This can block the baby's exit from the uterus.
  • Hypertension

Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Obstetrics & Gynecology, volume 99, number 1, January 2002, pages 171-173.


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