Exercise & FitnessExercise in Pregnancy Cuts Complications by 40% — What the Evidence Actually Shows
Exercise physiologist Dr Margie Davenport, who chaired both the 2019 Canadian Pregnancy and 2025 Canadian Postpartum physical activity guidelines, joins Simon Hill to dismantle decades of overly cautious advice. The episode reveals that regular exercise during pregnancy reduces preeclampsia and gestational diabetes by roughly 40%, cuts depression risk by 67%, and that women who continued heavy lifting saw 51% fewer complications. Fetal monitoring data from HIIT and resistance training sessions shows no harm to the baby. Postpartum, the traditional six-week rest rule lacks evidence, and exercise is associated with a 45% reduction in postpartum depression. The conversation shifts the frame from prohibition to shared decision-making, with very few absolute contraindications — most notably scuba diving.
