ACOG releases new guidelines on exercise: 30 minutes per day in pregnancy.

NEW YORK -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is encouraging healthy pregnant women to kick off the new year with moderately vigorous daily exercise.

The college's new guidelines on exercise and pregnancy issued earlier this month, recommend that healthy women engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days. The guidelines were previewed by Dr. Raul Artal, chair of ob.gyn. and women's health, St. Louis University at a press briefing sponsored by ACOG.

"Often times, after she asks 'When is the baby due?' she will ask about exercise," Dr. Artal said. Many physically active women want to continue their participation in fitness activities as long as they can. And unless there is a specific concern or contraindication, there's no reason why they shouldn't.

"We believe pregnancy should not be a state of confinement. In fact, it is a unique time for lifestyle modification. A woman who is pregnant is often very open to healthy lifestyle changes," he said.

Dr. Artal stressed that active women weigh less to start, gain less weight during pregnancy and tolerate labor better than do sedentary women. While there are no studies to prove that active women have better obstetrical outcomes, there are certainly no data to show that moderate physical activity causes any adverse outcomes.

ACOG's previous guidelines on exercise were considerably more restrictive, based on observations of a higher prevalence of fetal growth restriction among women who engaged in strenuous activity But Dr. Artal contended that this reflected the combination of strenuous activity and caloric deficiency So long as a woman is eating well and compensating for the caloric loss due to exercise, there should be no problems, especially if the activity is moderate.

"I cannot overemphasize the importance of hydration, both to cool core body temperature and to reduce the risk of complications," he added.