Do athletes have harder childbirths?
As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I get this question all the time.
Interestingly enough, many professional researchers have asked this question too.
Currently there is no strong peer-reviewed evidence supporting a yes for the question,
“Do athletes have harder labors?”
In fact, the research support being active in pregnancy has benefits that carry over to labor such as:
Increases the likelyhood of vaginal birth
Decreases the situation needing to use instruments during birth
In my opinion, I think it is really important to recognize correlation doesn’t equal causation.
Many athletes have easy labors while many athletes will have (and have had) challenging labors
Just like many non-athletes have challenging labors and many will have easy labors
Simply put—
Your status as an athlete or non-athlete doesn’t automatically dictate your birth outcome
Just like me being black doesn’t automatically make me really good basketball player.
There are KNOWN risk factors for more challenging labor which should NOT be ignored.
These known risk factors include:
Being fearful of birth
Habitual tension patterns in pelvic floor
Squeezing when you are supposed to be relaxing during the pushing phase of labor
History of adult sexual trauma
History of traumatic childhood events
And more!
As an integrative pelvic floor PT and birth educator, I am proud to take a birds eye view and support pregnant athletes who want to be proactive, understand your body, and lean into trust of the process of birth.
If you are a pregnant women who wants to change your narrative around birth and set yourself up for a positive and empowered experience, I would love to support you with personalized support at Radiance PT in Durham NC.
Book a complimentary strategy call where we chat about your goals and see if next steps.
References:
WOWDZIA, JB etal. Elite Athletes and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 53(3):p 534-542, March 2021. | DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002510
Prevett, C., et al. Impact of heavy resistance training on pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes. Int Urogynecol J 34, 405–411 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-022-05393-1
Sigurdardottir T, et al. Do female elite athletes experience more complicated childbirth than non-athletes? A case–control studyBritish Journal of Sports Medicine 2019;53:354-358.