Exercise and pregnancy: focus on advice for the competitive and elite athlete
Athletes' safety is a top priority of the IOC, and the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission aims to reach evidence based consensus on debatable topics. There are several guidelines regarding physical activity and exercise during pregnancy and postpartum period (American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists, Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists and Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologist of Canada, American College of Sports Medicine, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) However, until the IOC consensus meeting in September 2015, there was not any consensus statement on "Exercise in Pregnancy and the Post partum Period in elite sports particularly for High level Athletes".1 The IOC consensus meeting had two aims: (1) to comprehensively review risk factors related to different physical and physiological states of a pregnant athlete and (2) to provide recommendations for training and competing during pregnancy and postpartum period for high levels athletes. As IOC President Bach emphasised, "Sport is not just
British Journal of Sports Medicine