Pregnancy causes many changes in women, not the least of which are change in weight and its’ distribution, balance and increased vulnerability of ligaments and joints to stress.

Because of these changes, the safe care of pregnant women requires that their normal work activities be modified.

Some women with normal pregnancies will work up until they go into labor. Others will benefit from stopping their work activities a week or two before their estimated delivery date. Others may find increasing fatigue so debilitating that they must stop their activities even earlier.

Following delivery, women have traditionally been given 6 weeks to recover before returning to work. This represents a compromise in a number of respects:

• Some women can safely return to work earlier than 6 weeks, particularly if the work is not full time and doesn’t involve strenuous physical activities.
• Some women need longer than 6 weeks, particularly if their pregnancy was complicated by cesarean section or other complicating factor.
• Many women would prefer to have longer than 6 weeks off to spend time with their newborn.
• Many employers would prefer to have their employees return sooner than 6 weeks.

In the U.S. Armed Forces, disability issues are currently discussed in:

• Guidelines Concerning Pregnant Servicewomen. OPNAVINST 6000.1C for the Navy.
• Army Regulation 40–501. Medical Services. Standards of Medical Fitness for the Army.
• Marine Corps Policy Concerning Pregnancy and Parenthood, MCO 5000.12E for the Marine Corps.
• Community Health Management. Medical. Air Force Instruction 44-102, 17 November, 1999, for the Air Force