At Your Cervix

It’s taken us a whole year to get this super talented but super busy lady onto our podcast but it’s finally happened, just in time for Christmas! Elaine Miller has impressively combined art and science, to create comedy sketches and shows that break down barriers and educate men and women about their pelvic health. You may have seen her on @lorraine, @packedlunchc4 or even heard her on @bbcwomanshour, talking about pelvic health in her own hilarious and approachable way! Her humour is infectious and approach is unique. We were super keen to delve into her own personal experience of urinary incontinence, the work she is doing in schools, comedy clubs, the Edinburgh Festival, with media, and in Parliament!!! We also wanted to find out why Laughter is the best medicine even in the world of pelvic health! Elaine Miller is a fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and award-winning comedian. She is interested in the sociology of incontinence and the barriers to help-seeking. Her paper on using humour as a public health promotion tool was published in August and she is about to tour her comedy show "Viva Your Vulva" to further that research.  A systematic review of humour-based strategies for addressing public health priorities Elaine Miller,Heidi J. Bergmeier,Claire Blewitt,Amanda O'Connor,Helen Skouteris First published: 19 August 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.13142 You can find her here:  www.gussetgrippers.co.uk Instagram: @gusset_grippers Twitter: @GussieGrips

This week we are joined by Football legend Katie Chapman. Katie Chapman is a former English footballer who last played for Chelsea Ladies and England’s women’s national team.   At the age of 10, Katie began her professional career at Millwall Lionesses. Developing her skillset within the academy, she made her senior debut for the team in the 1996/97 season. Having showcased her ability in the 1997 FA Women’s Premier League Cup, Katie was awarded the FA Young Player of the Year which allowed her to sign a contract with Fulham, making the move to Arsenal ladies in 2006, then to Chicago Red Stars and her final senior team, Chelsea Ladies in 2014.  Aside from her senior career, Katie was the Under 18 England captain before being selected to be part of the national squad in 2000. After making her international debut in the UEFA Women’s Championship, she began starting games and scored her first international goal in the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualification. She has 94 caps for England and retired from England in 2016 and from Chelsea in 2018. Katie is also a mother of 3 boys and is now woman’s ambassador for  Chelsea women’s football club.  Katie speaks to us about her incredible footballing career and being a mother athlete. To find out more about Katie visit: Instagram @katiechapmanofficial https://champions-speakers.co.uk/speaker-agent/katie-chapman

In today's episode we speak with Dr Rebeca Seagraves PT, DPT who is a Board-certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist and founder of Enhanced Recovery After Delivery - an obstetric clinical pathway that maximizes mental and physical function during pregnancy and immediately postpartum with hospital and in-home occupational and physical therapy. She has extensive experience treating perinatal and pelvic health conditions in acute care, home health, and outpatient settings including long-term hospitalizations for high-risk pregnancy and following perinatal loss. She has worked with inpatient obstetrics and gynecology teams to maximize early recovery after delivery and pelvic surgery, including hysterectomy, prolapse repair, endometriosis surgery, cesarean section, birth-related injuries, and following obstetrics critical care interventions. She is the founder of Enhanced Recovery After Delivery™ , an obstetrics clinical pathway that maximizes mental and physical function during pregnancy and immediately postpartum with hospital and in-home occupational and physical therapy. Her vision is that every person will have access to a qualified rehab therapist during pregnancy and within the first 6 weeks after birth, perinatal loss, pregnancy termination, and any pelvic surgery regardless of their location or ability to pay. https://enhancedrecoveryafterdelivery.com/program/ Rebeca is also the CEO of the Pelvic Health Network https://pelvichealthnetwork.org/?fbclid=PAAabRhhusYmb6FqDBRe9pXYV8jGhosBaaiohYjLcFzF2T_Hb8d9Dnk5Q7BdA In this episode we refer to the '4th Trimester Care Around the World Event' which can be watched on demand here https://youtu.be/A-_7u7IA9TY?si=EkvuIr6rRveXbXY8

Dr Giselle Aerni is a sports medicine physician and creator of the Madam Athlete Podcast. She has covered everything from the WNBA, to NCAA DI and DIII national championship-winning teams, to high-school sports and marathons. In her role as a sports medicine fellowship director, she also teaches and mentors future sports medicine physicians to prepare them for careers of their own. We discuss the importance of career and life satisfaction, not following the crowd if the status quo isn't for you and how and where to access coaching support. You can find out more about Giselle and her podcast and courses here: Webstite https://madamathlete.com/ Instagram @themadamathlete Happy listening Emma and Gráinne

We are back! To open season 5 we have a very special personal experience of navigating the trials and tribulations of postpartum pelvic organ prolapse with Caoímhe Cummins - who is the founder and person behind the popular Instagram account @thebighillhouse. Caoímhe, who is a primary school teacher turned digital creator, offers a social media window into life as a busy stay-at-home mum to FOUR beautiful kids. Her Instagram content uncovers all things involved with mum life, house DIY, fashion, beauty and current affairs. One such current affair just so happened to be the common, yet taboo, issue of pelvic organ prolapse. Tune in to see how Caoímhe discovered her pelvic floor issues and what she did about them. This is an authentic, real life, no frills insight into the real life issues that women are predisposed to. The good news is they can be managed...but you need to listen to learn how!

**Bonus series**  Learn all about diastasis rectus abdominis and what contemporary evidence informed management looks like as Gráinne busts the myths with Antony Lo and Claire Black and learns all about Claire's lived experience of it. If you enjoy this episode, are accessible to Dublin, Ireland and wish to learn more about diastasis, Claire and I will be joining Antony Lo on his Irish leg of teaching this month 21st and 22nd January 2023. We would love you to join! Sign up at https://mypteducation.com/learn/#upcominglive. Claire Black is a former criminal lawyer from Scotland who experienced significant, persisting diastasis following the birth of her first baby. Not only has she been a driver in raising awareness of diastasis around the world but her personal experience has also served as a catalyst for change and development to ensure professionals around the world are implementing best practice. She lives with her husband, son, daughter and two spaniels. She has always had a love for sport and exercise and recently became engaged with Crossfit (even with a significant diastasis) and is now stronger and more capable than ever before! She has a blog capturing more of her journey called Bump, Birth and Beyond https://www.tumblr.com/mybumpbirthandbeyond. You can also find Claire on Instagram @clairemmac. Antony Lo is a physiotherapist from Australia and runs The Physio Detective service and My PT Education. He helps the general public and health and fitness professionals who struggle to progress women to moderate-to-high intensity exercise by cutting through the BS and thinking outside the box so they confidently assist people to achieve their goals. He earned his degree from the University of Sydney and has been in practice since 1997 (old enough to see old things come back as new things!). He completed his post- graduate Master in Manual Therapy (Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy) from the University of Western Australia and commenced his Specialization training in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. He has been involved in antenatal and postnatal education and management for his whole career (since 1997). Through participation and through his work as a Physiotherapist at all levels of sport, coaching and education, he has developed a model of treatment that utilizes the best from Sports Science, Musculoskeletal/Sports Physiotherapy, Pain Science, and Women’s Health research to provide a practical, realistic holistic model of care balancing the biopsychosocial model of healthcare with the best of historical assessment and management approaches. He is privileged to teach health and fitness professionals around the world in person and online in addition to his clinical work. Antony has a wife and 3 beautiful children in the best city in the world – Sydney, Australia!  Contact: www.antonylo.com www.Instagram.com/physiodetective

Emma and Grainne are delighted to present a very special FINALE episode. In this episode, they are joined by Olympian and world champion long distance runner Kara Goucher! This season of At Your Cervix has discussed so many facets of pelvic health with a strong bias towards the female athlete. In this episode, the discussion with Kara brings it all together. Kara has had an incredible career and has been exposed to many of the issues we have discussed throughout this season like REDs , pregnancy and postpartum complications as well as transitioning from athlete to mother athlete. Kara is a huge advocate of educating young athletes and a true inspiration to all women, young and old!  This really is a must listen, get ready to be inspired, impassioned and excited about the future of the female athlete!   Kara's Bio  KARA GOUCHER is an American long-distance runner. She won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in the 10,000 meters and is a two-time Olympian. A podium finisher at the Boston and New York City Marathons, she also competed for the University of Colorado, where she was a three-time NCAA champion. After more than a decade as a Nike athlete, Kara is now sponsored by Oiselle and Altra and is a cofounder of the Clean Sport Collective, an anti-doping initiative. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, Adam, also an elite runner, and their son, Colt. Read more about her at karagoucher.com.

**** Trigger warning This episode discusses birth trauma and birth injuries***** Perineal injuries during childbirth known as OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury) or 3rd and 4th degree tears. A third-degree tear is a perineal tear that extends into the muscle of the external anal sphincter. If the tear extends further into the lining of the anus or rectum it is known as a fourth-degree tear. The incidence of OASI in the UK is 2.9% with an incidence rate of 6.1% in first births – meaning around 1 in 20 first-time mums in the UK suffer this type of serious injury. The main risk factor for anal incontinence amongst childbearing women is an OASI injury but OASI injuries can also cause other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. An OASI can have a devastating impact on quality of life - affecting a woman’s health, intimate relationships, family relationships and employment. In today's episode Emma Talks to Joanna Prance, Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor, Ostomate and a Mum. In 1998, Jo was 22 when she sustained life-changing injuries during the traumatic birth of her son. The extent of these devastating injuries only manifested over time and she could never have imagined the ordeal of what the subsequent 23 years would bring or the impact her childbirth experience would have on the rest of her life. As a result she has undergone multiple treatments, procedures and over 17 surgical interventions, including TVT mesh, sacral neuromodulation and colostomy surgery. Speaker Bio  Through her work as Speaker and educator Joanna is keen to raise awareness of how life-changing severe childbirth injuries are to those who suffer them and their families and to improve the outcomes for those affected by these injuries. Jo began her involvement with The MASIC Foundation in 2019, a charity that supports women who have suffered serious injuries like OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury) during childbirth and is a MASIC Advocate. She has also been engaged with project work for Colostomy UK, a charity that supports and empowers people living with a stoma A keen sportswoman, she has sustained an active lifestyle despite facing numerous challenges as a result of her injuries. She enjoys yoga, walking, strength training and last year returned to competitive swimming. Jo’s fitness and healthcare career spans over 17 years through her private work as a Personal Trainer and formerly in the public sector as a specialist Cardiac Rehabilitation Instructor. You can find her on instagram @colostomummy To find out more about MASICs please visit www.masic.org,uk

The conversation around the menopause is finely gathering pace. It's a hot topic in the press and there are many great campaigns, more books and resources that can help women manage the menopause and seek the treatment they want and deserve.  The menopause can be difficult to navigate and is still shrouded in mystery. Grainne and Emma had a great conversation about the menstrual cycle with Michelle Lyons in season 2 where we touched on menopause. In today's episode we were delighted to discuss the menopause in greater depth with Dr Orla Conlon. In this episode Orla debunks myths and provides some sound advice for any woman who is peri or post menopausal. She helps highlight that the menopause can be a positive time in a woman's life, a time that can be embraced.  If you enjoy this episode please share and of course leave a review!  Speakers Bio Dr Orla Conlon graduated in Medicine from Queen’s University, Belfast in 1995 and has been working in Obstetrics & Gynaecology since 1996. She became a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in 2000 and was appointed to what was previously known as The Erne Hospital in Enniskillen as Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology in March 2007. She is also a specialist with the British Menopause Society with a special interest in vulval conditions She holds specialist training in obstetric ultrasound, gynaecological imaging, colposcopy, advanced hysteroscopy, psychosexual medicine and Menopause with a specialist interest in vulval conditions.  She has presented papers at many national & international meetings and has several publications in peer review journals.

In this episode, we speak to Physical Therapist and runner Kacy Seynders who has had a turbulent journey through her childhood and adolescent years suffering from eating disorders, over-exercising and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-s).  Kacy candidly discusses the huge physical impact that her eating disorder and RED-s have had on her physical, mental health and her athletic performance. She talks about how she has finally managed to untangle the complicated relationship between body weight, body composition and performance and how she now not only leads a healthy lifestyle that nurtures her physical and mental wellbeing but how she now uses her experiences to create a healthy culture for the athletes that she works with.   To find out more about Kacy visit her website and read her blog  https://kacyseynders.wordpress.com

Welcome back to Season 4 of At Your Cervix the Podcast! We are delighted to bring to you this fascinating discussion with Loughborough University Researcher Joanna Harper about Transgender Athlete Performance. Joanna, originally from a small town north of Toronto is a medical researcher at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom where her research focuses on this very topic. Author of the book, Sporting Gender: The History, Science and Stories of Transgender and Intersex Athletes, she has also authored articles on gender diverse athletes in peer-reviewed scientific publications. Since 2015, Joanna has served as an advisor on transgender and intersex athletes to multiple sporting federations including the International Olympic Committee. In this episode we discuss what it means to be a transgender athlete, what confusion and questions arise within high performance competition and what the science actually tells us in relation to whether transgender women hold a "sporting advantage". Joanna's peer reviewed scientific publications include: Pitsiladis Y, Harper J, Betancurt JO, Martinez-Patino MJ, Parisi A, Wang G, Pigozzi F. Beyond Fairness: The Biology of Inclusion for Transgender and Intersex Athletes. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2016 Nov/Dec;15(6):386-388. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000314. PMID: 27841808. Harper J, Lima G, Kolliari-Turner A, Malinsky FR, Wang G, Martinez-Patino MJ, Angadi SS, Papadopoulou T, Pigozzi F, Seal L, Barrett J, Pitsiladis YP. The Fluidity of Gender and Implications for the Biology of Inclusion for Transgender and Intersex Athletes. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2018 Dec;17(12):467-472. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000543. PMID: 30531465. Harper J, Martinez-Patino MJ, Pigozzi F, Pitsiladis Y. Implications of a Third Gender for Elite Sports. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2018 Feb;17(2):42-44. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000455. PMID: 29420345. Harper J, O'Donnell E, Sorouri Khorashad B, McDermott H, Witcomb GL. How does hormone transition in transgender women change body composition, muscle strength and haemoglobin? Systematic review with a focus on the implications for sport participation. Br J Sports Med. 2021 Aug;55(15):865-872. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-103106. Epub 2021 Mar 1. PMID: 33648944; PMCID: PMC8311086. As always, we appreciate any discussion raised by our episodes so please contact us via Instagram (@at_yourcervixthepodcast ) 

In this episode we build upon Season 2's Finale with Molly Galbraith and Marika Hart from Girls Gone Strong which focused on being a strong women who lifts others up. If you have not already listened to this episode you should definitely catch up on it. To continue the discussion, we sat down with Jo Turner, physiotherapist and life coach from Mehab to discuss what it means to be a strong woman in todays world and what the experiences of competition versus collaboration mean. How exactly do we stay in our lane? Tune in to find out what we think.... Find out more about Jo and her podcast at www.mehab.co.uk, @mehab_jo (Twitter and Instagram).

In this week's episode Gráinne and Emma bring you the story of an athletes personal journey with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). Sofia Häger is an active 30 year old mum to a 5 month old curious girl. She has always loved working out and played tennis during her teens and through college. After college running became her passion but all the associated injuries eventually led her to triathlon, where she is hooked! After multiple stress fractures and injuries she came to the self-discovery that she had RED-S. Sofia discusses her experience and how she managed this condition to enable her to get pregnant with her first child. While currently on maternity leave, Sofia works full time as a project manager and also has her own business in nutrition for women (www.sofiasportsandnutrition.weebly.com). She is continuing to try to figure out how to be the best mum for her daughter, partner to her boyfriend and at the same time have high goals in triathlon. We look forward to hearing what you all think. Resources mentioned: Book - No Period. Now what? Nicola J Rinaldi, PhD.

Trigger warning - this post discusses baby loss This week Emma and Grainne are joined by mother, editor and author Georgina Lucas  Emma first met Georgie in clinic when she came to see her for a postpartum check following the birth of her 2nd baby, Grey. Tragically Grey passed away when he was 21 days old. Emma treated Georgie for a long time and got to know Georgie well.  At the beginning of this year Georgie’s first book ‘If not for you’ was published. ‘If not for you’ is Georgie’s incredible, moving memoir of the 21 days she and her husband Mike shared with Grey and the aftermath - the search to make sense of their unimaginable loss.  On this week’s episode, you can hear Georgie talk to Grainne and Emma about her heartbreaking journey, Grey, her memoir, her postnatal recovery and her life now.  It’s a beautiful episode and very much worth a listen!  If you love the podcast please review us and let us know what you think If not for you is available from all good booksellers https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/georgina-lucas/if-not-for-you/9781408714546/ BABY LOSS RESOURCES Aching Arms achingarms.co.uk Supports those who have suffered the loss of a baby during pregnancy, at birth or soon after. Arc arc-uk.org Helps parents and healthcare professionals through antenatal screening and its consequences. Bliss bliss.org.uk Aims to give every baby born premature or sick the best chance of survival and quality of life. Borne borne.org.uk Researches the causes of premature birth in order to save lives. Child Bereavement UK childbereavementuk.org Supports families and educates professionals when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement. Mama Academy mamaacademy.org.uk Empowers all maternity professionals and expectant parents on stillbirth prevention methods to help more babies arrive safely. The Mariposa Trust mariposatrust.org Supports those affected by baby loss and bereavement. The Miscarriage Association miscarriageassociation.org.uk Supports those affected by miscarriage, molar pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy. Our Missing Peace ourmissingpeace.org Helps all who have been affected by the death of a child. Petals petalscharity.org Provides specialist counselling after baby loss. Sands sands.org.uk Provides support for anyone affected by the death of a baby, improves the care bereaved parents receive, works to create a world where fewer babies die. Saying Goodbye sayinggoodbye.org Provides comprehensive information, advice, support to anyone who has suffered the loss of a baby, at any stage of pregnancy. Teddy’s Wish teddyswish.org Funds research into the causes of baby loss and provides hope for grieving families. Tommy’s tommys.org Provides support and funds research into stillbirth, premature birth and miscarriage. Unique rarechromo.org Supports and informs families living with a Rare Chromosome Disorder. Instagram Zoe Clarke Coates - @zoeadelle Feathering the empty nest - her Mum’s Voice blogs in particular @feathering_the_empty_nest The Mindful Grief Coach - @themindfulgriefcoach Grief Gang - @thegriefgangpodcast Julia Samuel - @juliasamuelmbe Priyanka Saha - @the_lilyflower

Kirsty Dougal is Scottish but lives in the Cotswolds. She is 42 and works in research funding for biological sciences. Outside of work, she is passionate about horses, having previously worked in the equine industry. If money was no object she would happily spend her time outdoors cuddling horses! 4 years ago her life was turned upside down due to the perimenopause and menopause. She experienced the perimenopause at 38! Her symptoms were life-altering and her battle to seek diagnosis and treatment have been very difficult. Her transition into the menopause is not conventional. At 41 she went through a chemical menopause before having surgery last year to be put into a surgical menopause! She realised first-hand how poor support is  and is now driven to do what she can to help other women understand the topic and know how to advocate for themselves and access the right help. Resources https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/ https://www.themenopausecharity.org/ https://www.menopausalnotmad.co.uk/ https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23

We open this season talking to Helen Ledwick the creator of ‘Why Mums Don’t Jump’ -- a podcast about pelvic floor problems after childbirth. She’s a former BBC journalist and a mum-of-two with pelvic organ prolapse.  When delivering her second baby, Helen experienced a 3rd-degree tear and subsequent pelvic organ prolapse. Unaware of pelvic floor dysfunction until this point and frustrated, anxious, and keen to learn more, Helen began to explore the world of pelvic health and found that there were so many more women affected by these common but not normal symptoms that can occur at any time in a woman life, but often around pregnancy and childbirth.  Helen 'fell' down many rabbit holes whilst researching her symptoms and was overwhelmed by the misinformation, scaremongering and myths that existed for all pelvic floor conditions including pelvic organ prolapse. As a result she started her very successful podcast 'why mums don't jump' and has gone on to myth bust, empower and support other women who suffer from pelvic organ prolapse and other pelvic floor dysfunction.   This is Helen's empowering pelvic organ prolapse story and is a must for anyone suffering with pelvic floor dysfunction or who works with and supports women    Check out Why Mum's Dont Jump Here  https://whymumsdontjump.com/ POGP and leaflets: https://thepogp.co.uk/resources/booklets/ If you enjoyed this episode do please tell your friends and even better review us on the podcast channel you subscribe too  Lot of love Emma and Grainne 

✨Special Bonus Episode ✨ Hello everyone!  Some of you may know that whilst we have been having a little podcast break we have been putting together a course called The Athletic Female alongside Dr Helen McElroy! This course is all about the female athlete (no surprises there) and is an absolute passion project of ours! We wanted to tell you all about it so we got together with our co-founder of The Athletic Female  Dr Helen McElroy to tell you all! This episode is also special because it’s the first time that Gráinne and I have been in the same room to record! This course is suitable for all health and fitness professionals who work with the female athlete and we would love for you to sign up! We have an early bird discount in place when you purchase the course which you can take advantage of until tomorrow night (27th Feb 2022)! To sign up head to www.theathleticfemale.com Grainne and Emma will be back in the late Spring with Season 3 of @atyourcervix_thepodcast so if you have any topics around women's health that you would like us to discuss do let us know xxx

Here it is, our final episode. We think it is an absolute cracker 😂. It’s released on Sunday (Boxing Day) - a present from us to you! Join us as we talk to Molly Galbraith founder of Girls Gone Strong, a movement dedicated to women's health, strength and empowerment and fellow pelvic health physiotherapist Marika Hart who supports Girls Gone Strong as a subject expert in perinatal and pelvic health topics. We find out all about Girls Gone Strong, how working collaboratively can create something really special for all women as well as the power of women supporting each other and lifting each other up! Get ready for GIRL POWER! As this is our last episode we want to say a special thank you to Pelvic Relief for being such a wonderful sponsor this season, you have been the dream! At Your Cervix The Podcast will be back with you next year and we can’t thank you enough for listening! We however have a few requests 😘. Please share episodes you like and review us. When this happens we can spread the word of our incredible experts so please if you have a minute please help us! We would also love to know how we can improve, what do you like, who do you want to hear from? This is your podcast so let us know how we can continue to be At Your Cervix! Resources: Molly Galbraith  Instagram: @themollygalbraith https://www.mollygalbraith.com/home1 Marika Hart  Instagram: @marika.physio https://marikahart.com/ Girls Gone Strong https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/ Book: Strong Women lift each other up by Molly Galbraith https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strong-Women-Lift-Each-Other/dp/0785239081

This week Emma and Grainne speak to Pip. Pip is a practicing NHS Midwifery Sister in the UK, an enthusiast of all things women’s health and also mum to her 9-week-old baby boy. Pip has worked across various maternity settings from community, homebirth, birthing centres and is now based on a labour ward (although she is currently on maternity leave).  Now she has had a baby we were fascinated to find out what her views are of midwifery and of course motherhood now she is on 'the other side'. We talk frankly about the 'maternity crisis' and explore the changing landscape of pelvic health and collaborative work necessary for effective perinatal care.  Pip believes that pregnancy and birth are such monumental times in a woman’s life that should be truly positive and empowering regardless of the twists and turns that may crop up. Based on this, Pip’s mission is to provide honest support and information through her Instagram page @midwife_pip, Podcast- Midwife Pip Podcast and through her online courses which can be found at www.midwifepip.com.

On today's episode, Grainne and Emma talk to leading expert and researcher Dr Margie Davenport about getting physically active and exercising during pregnancy.  Advice and guidance have dramatically varied over the years around this topic. In the mid 1900s pregnancy was regarded as a state of confinement. It was believed that exercise should be discouraged for fear of harming mother or growing baby.  Thankfully things have changed and now women are encouraged to be physically active and exercise because of all the wonderful benefits they bring both mum-to-be and baby. However, there still remains uncertainty in this area. In 2019 a team in Canada led by Dr. Margie Davenport wrote much-needed evidence-based guidance  - The Canadian guidelines for physical activity throughout pregnancy. This guidance details why and how women can remain or even start to get physically active during their pregnancy.  In today's episode, Margie talks to Emma and Grainne about the guidelines, the benefits of physical activity and exercise, busts many of the myths around this topic  and discusses the need for further research so that women are better served during their pregnancies.  If you are thinking about getting pregnant, pregnant or working with pregnant women this episode is for you. You can find Margie on the following channels: Instagram: @exerciseandpregnancy Twitter@ @ExercisePreg 2019 Canadian guideline for physical activity throughout pregnancy https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/21/1339