If you’ve always enjoyed running and are pregnant or recently had a baby, it’s important to take a graded and mindful approach when it comes to exercise. One area your healthcare provider will discuss with you in relation to this is your pelvic health. Vhi Senior Musculoskeletal & Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, Dawn Cantwell, chats to us about safely running or exercising during pregnancy and how you can ease yourself back in once you’ve had a baby. 

Is running while pregnant okay for your pelvic health?

There’s no hard and fast answer to this question, because it will depend on the individual woman. Unless it’s advised by your healthcare provider, you don't need to change your exercise routine when you get pregnant. As your pregnancy progresses, you’ll need to tweak some things. 

If you’re a seasoned runner

Generally, if you’ve been running a while, you’re in good health, and you're mindful of hydration and your energy levels when you run, there's no need to stop running if you get pregnant but do check in with your healthcare provider to be sure. It won’t be harmful for your baby, but it might be harmful to your pelvic floor down the line. When you get to the point that your bump feels too heavy to comfortably run or when your pelvis doesn’t feel as strong as before, it’s time to hang up your running trainers. At this stage of your pregnancy your pelvic ligaments are becoming more loose (as your body prepares for the delivery of your baby), and you are likely going to put your pelvic floor under extra stress if you keep running. This might happen as early as two months into your pregnancy, or it might not be for six or seven months. It’s important to remember that you might not feel the result of this extra stress on your pelvic floor for months or even years, but a lot of high impact stress from running will likely catch up on your pelvic floor at some stage. So, it’s important to listen to your body if running becomes uncomfortable. Exercise is extremely beneficial for your health, pregnancy included, so this doesn’t mean you need to throw in the towel! You just adjust your exercise to something more low impact, with movements or weight that put less stress on your body. If you have questions about this, just chat to your healthcare provider or physiotherapist. 

If you didn’t run before pregnancy 

For women that didn’t run before getting pregnant, it’s not a good idea to start now, or at least, you should speak to your healthcare provider if you are considering it.  They can discuss what’s safest for you and whether a different form of exercise might be more suitable. And of course, if you start to experience symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction (like incontinence, pelvic pain or prolapse) during your pregnancy, your healthcare provider is on hand to help. 

How long should postpartum runners wait before returning to running?

All the health professional guidelines advise that postpartum women should wait a minimum of three months before they return to running. And once you do, it needs to be a very gradual return. Again, this is individual and depends on your level or fitness, delivery experience and overall health condition, as you may need to wait longer than the three-month minimum. If you’ve been running quite a while and have no pelvic floor issues after giving birth, then waiting the three months might be enough. Just make sure you have a graded return to running, building your routine back up over three to six months. Your body has been through a lot, so be really kind to it! Your running routine needs to be built up slowly.  

If you had C-section, your journey to return to running will take longer, as your body needs more time to recover from the surgery and to allow your abdominal muscles to rehabilitate. If you choose to breastfeed, you will also need to consider the demands of this on your body, and of course, sleep deprivation ─ if your newborn isn’t sleeping and you’re exhausted, your body might not be able to tolerate an activity as high in intensity as running! 

Every woman, with the guidance of their healthcare provider, needs to look at their situation ─ what are your fitness levels? Do you have any existing or new injuries? How was your labour and delivery experience? These things will influence whether you need to wait longer, how quickly you build an exercise routine, and what feels good for your body. Running groups and races that are focused more on community and fun could be a nice way to ease yourself back into training. 

Do you want to read more on pelvic floor health and exercise? Have a look at my blog, ‘How to protect your pelvic health when exercising.’

This content is for information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek advice from your GP or an appropriate medical professional if you have concerns about your health, or before commencing a new healthcare regime. If you believe that you are experiencing a medical emergency call 999 / 112 or seek emergency assistance immediately.