Lotta Hintsa Instagram – Thank you @lottahintsa for sharing your experience that so may athletes face, having to navigate opinions, and fear based narratives over evidence.
As the sport of climbing has grown, and elite athletes have begun to challenge stereotypes, so has the number of athletes continuing to climb during pregnancy.
Some research:
➡️Last year we interviewed 11 elite climbers who had trained or competed at the elite level while pregnant within the last 5 years.
✅ Results:
Their Experiences are represented by five themes:
1) decision-making around climbing risks during pregnancy,
2) modifications to mitigate risk,
3) lasting effects of climbing on pregnancy & motherhood
4) climbing feels way better than walking: benefits of climbing during pregnancy
(5) climbing-specific barriers to inclusion.
✨ Overall, the climbers highlighted that continued engagement in their sport was based on an informed risk assessment where they viewed the risk to themselves and their fetus to be low and the potential benefits to be very high.
Ref: Davenport MH, Ray L, Black J, McHugh TL. “An Informed Risk Assessment”: A Qualitative Exploration of Elite Climbers’ Experiences During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. Sports Med. 2025 Nov;55(11):2905-2914. doi: 10.1007/s40279-025-02260-z. Epub 2025 Jun 23. PMID: 40551058.
@climbingwithjoy @taraleighmchugh | Posted on 06/Mar/2026 23:35:11
