Exercise is a great benefit to both the surrogate and the child(ren) they are carrying. While some surrogates may feel uneasy about exercise, especially because they are carrying a child that is not genetically theirs, exercise is highly encouraged by physicians both before and during the pregnancy. A physician will be able to recommend exercises and monitor the health impacts during the pregnancy.

Benefits

Prior to IVF, exercise has shown to increase the inception rate. Exercising while pregnant can help with having a healthy and more comfortable pregnancy. Low impact exercises can help to reduce backaches, prevent gestational diabetes, improve energy and mood, aide in better sleep, and can strengthen surrogates for labor.

What Exercises Can I Do?

The most important part of exercising while pregnant is to do exercises that are comfortable for you. The comfort of the exercise will differ from surrogate to surrogate, depending on their activity level before becoming pregnant. In the early trimester, most surrogates will be able to maintain a similar level of exercise as before they became pregnant. However, later in the pregnancy, exercising should be reduced to those that do not need balance/coordination, as those qualities decrease in pregnant women and may lead to injuries.

While most other exercises are okay to do while pregnant, high impact and strenuous workouts should be done in moderation or not at all. This is especially true if regular exercise was not done prior to the pregnancy, but it’s best to consult with your physician before doing anything.

Overall, low impact aerobics is the most commonly recommended type of exercise and are recommend at least 30 minutes every day. These include the following:

  • Swimming
  • Walking
  • Stationary Cycling
  • Step/Elliptical Machines
  • Yoga
  • Pilates
  • Barre

Running/Jogging can also be acceptable on level terrain or on an indoor treadmill, but may become difficult to do later in the pregnancy. Changes in your ligaments and joints can strain you knees and possibly lead to injury.

For more tips on staying healthy as a Surrogate, or to begin the application process, contact us at FamilySourceSurrogacy.com.

Staci Swiderski, CEO and owner of Family Source Consultants, has been a prominent leader in reproductive medicine for over two decades. Through her strategic vision and dedication, she has developed Family Source Consultants into a globally recognized agency specializing in comprehensive egg donation and gestational surrogacy services. Under Staci’s leadership, the agency has become a trusted partner for intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors worldwide, known for its rigorous standards, compassionate support, and commitment to excellence in third-party reproduction.

Her professional insight is uniquely informed by her own family-building experiences. As an intended parent, Staci welcomed her son via gestational surrogacy in 2005, and as a known egg donor, she assisted an infertile couple in expanding their family. These experiences lend a rare depth to her leadership and have fueled her ongoing dedication to ethical, empathetic, and professional support within the field of reproductive medicine.