Joint SOGC/CSEP clinical practice guideline: exercise in pregnancy and the postpartum period.
OBJECTIVE
To design Canadian guidelines advising obstetric care providers of the maternal, fetal, and neonatal implications of aerobic and strength-conditioning exercises in pregnancy.


RESULTS
Knowledge of the impact of exercise on maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity, and of the maternal measures of fitness.


METHODS
MEDLINE search from 1966 to 2002 for English-language articles related to studies of maternal aerobic and strength conditioning in a previously sedentary population, maternal aerobic and strength conditioning in a previously active population, impact of aerobic and strength conditioning on early and late pregnancy outcomes, impact of aerobic and strength conditioning on neonatal outcomes, as well as for review articles and meta-analyses related to exercise in pregnancy.


METHODS
The evidence collected was reviewed by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC Clinical Practice Obstetrics Committee) with representation from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, and quantified using the evaluation of evidence guidelines developed by the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Exam.
Davies
Gregory A L
GA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6.
Wolfe
Larry A
LA
Mottola
Michelle F
MF
MacKinnon
Catherine
C
D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy