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Evidence LibraryPregnancy and prenatal testingEarly decisions
Evidence Library · Early decisions

Work, exercise, travel and everything you have been told to stop

Most of it is fine, and the advice is often stricter than the evidence.

For most healthy pregnancies, exercise, working, travel, sex and lifting are all fine, and exercise in particular is associated with better outcomes rather than worse.

Bed rest, once prescribed for a long list of complications, has not been shown to help and carries real harms including blood clots, muscle loss and lost income. If it is recommended to you, ask what specific evidence supports it in your situation.

A useful distinction"Is this a restriction with evidence behind it for my specific situation, or is it general caution?" Both exist, and being told to stop working for three months is not a small thing to accept without knowing which one it is.

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More from Early pregnancy

This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.