Effect of Postpartum Exercise on Mothers and their Offspring: A Review of the Literature

Epidemiological studies suggest that childbearing may contribute to the development of obesity. In the past 12 years, several cross-sectional and randomized trials have addressed the effect of postpartum exercise on weight loss and/or energy balance in mostly lactating women. These studies suggest that moderate exercise without specific calorie restriction does not promote greater weight or fat loss. This may be because exercise may promote greater energy intake and/or reduced energy expenditure from nonexercise physical activity (thus preventing negative energy balance), but further research is needed. Regular exercise, however, is likely to have other important health benefits after childbirth. A few published studies suggest that postpartum exercise improves aerobic fitness, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, and insulin sensitivity. Exercise may also enhance psychological well-being, but controlled clinical studies are needed. Although two published studies have addressed whether exercise training attenuates lactation-induced bone loss, better controlled studies are needed to determine whether postpartum weight-bearing exercise can improve bone mineral density in lactating and nonlactating women alike. In lactating women, several studies have collectively determined that neither acute nor regular exercise has adverse effects on a mother's ability to successfully breast-feed. It needs to be determined whether a woman's participation in regular exercise after childbirth will improve her ability to mother or instill lifetime habits of regular physical activity in either herself or her offspring. Overall, published studies have established the importance of regular exercise during the postpartum period. More research, however, is needed in this important area.