Research summary · Women's sport
Pregnancy across elite and sub-elite sport
A scoping review maps evidence on training, performance, health and psychological experiences before, during and after pregnancy in elite and sub-elite athletes.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Scoping review
- Journal
- Sports Medicine - Open
- Population / context
- Elite and sub-elite athletes · Pregnancy and postpartum
What the publication reports
The search identified 5,236 records; 101 met the inclusion criteria and 46 original articles entered detailed extraction. Athletes commonly continued modified training, and the available evidence indicates that return to high performance can be feasible, while also identifying important gaps in guidance and psychological support.
Limits and interpretation
The literature was limited, often dated and concentrated in endurance sports and Western settings. The review cannot establish a universally safe training load during pregnancy or a return-to-sport timetable; individual obstetric and sports-medicine assessment remains essential.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Elite and Sub-elite Athletes and Pregnancy: Training, Performance, Health and Psychological Aspects Across the Pre-, Peri-, and Postnatal Stages: A Scoping Review
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 41801540DOI: 10.1186/s40798-026-01000-5Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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