Last updated December 2011. Planned review date: December 2012

Exercise/activity to avoid in pregnancy

There are some exercises that may cause injury to you or the baby and are better avoided until after your pregnancy.

• Contact sports, such as football, hockey or martial arts, may cause direct injury to your bump so it’s best not to do these at all during pregnancy.
• Activities that put a strain on your joints or where you have a risk of falling, such as skiing, gymnastics and horse riding, can be a problem during pregnancy. This is because hormonal changes make the ligaments around your joints more stretchy and liable to damage.
• Scuba diving is unsafe during pregnancy as the unborn baby is at risk of nitrogen gas bubbles passing across the placenta and has no protection against decompression sickness.

Sources

RCOG Guidelines (2006) Exercise in Pregnancy, Statement 4, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Department of Health (2009) The Pregnancy Book, NHS, London, 286153

In this section

How active should I be?
When to be careful exercising
Exercise/activity to avoid
Everyday activity suggestions
Pelvic floor exercises
Swimming in pregnancy
Running in pregnancy
Walking in pregnancy
Yoga and pregnancy
Aerobics and weights in pregnancy
Questions on exercise in pregnancy
Five pregnancy exercises (pdf)

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