ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2025
Exceeding the guidelines: A descriptive study of exercise, pregnancy, maternal and neonatal health outcomes in elite and recreational athletes.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Mum-Alete: An Observational Survey-Based Study of Australian Athletes Returning to High-Performance Sport After Pregnancy.Sports medicine - open · 2026Article
- Is fetal well-being jeopardised during high-intensity interval training?BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
- Pushing limits: the acute effects of a heavy-load resistance protocol and supine exercise on fetal well-being.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExercise during pregnancy is associated with numerous health benefits. However, guidelines for elite and recreational athletes, who often exceed general recommendations regarding intensity, duration, and frequency are lacking, and potential risks remain unclear. The aim of the study was to describe exercise levels, pregnancy, and maternal and neonatal health outcomes in elite and recreational athletes.
methodThis study was part of the Strong Mama research project, which was carried out in Oslo, Norway, between October 2022 and February 2024. Sixty athletes (10 elite and 50 recreational) participated in the study. They completed an online survey during late pregnancy and participated in a structured telephone interview six weeks postpartum. The survey and interview collected data on exercise habits, pregnancy experiences, and maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
resultsThe athletes maintained high exercise levels during pregnancy, with elite athletes exercising an average of 11.6 h per week (SD 3.2) and recreational athletes exercising 7.0 h per week (SD 2.4). Most athletes resumed exercising within six weeks postpartum. Almost all pregnancies were planned, including six which involved fertility treatment. Most women (76.7%) had spontaneous onset of labor and vaginal deliveries to term (between 36 and 42 weeks). The mean birthweight was 3487 (SD 519.4, range 2600-4775) grams. Two of the elite athletes were diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus and two with hypertension during pregnancy. None of the 50 recreational athletes reported any pregnancy complications.
conclusionHigh levels of exercise during pregnancy did not seem to negatively impact maternal or neonatal health in this descriptive sample of Norwegian elite and recreational athletes. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.