While a lifelong exercise program is essential to healthy living, some women approach athletic training with extra intensity. Professional athletes who train every day, sometimes for several hours, have special health concerns. For one thing, a rigorous athletic regimen can lead to amenorrhea (cessation of menstruation).
If you plan to become pregnant, yet want to remain active, then your physical therapist may recommend a few changes in your lifestyle. As a pregnant athlete, your training program may be more moderate than you're used to. Your physical therapist will help you modify your exercise program and train you to monitor your heart rate so that you can continue to enjoy the advantages of fitness in pregnancy.
*Sourced from: American Physical Therapy Association (www.APTA.org). "For Women of All Ages. A Physical Therapist's Perspective on Women's Health." 50M/3-07/PR-38