Jo Pinner: Pregnancy guidance and research is absolutely critical for athletes

Great Britain and England hockey player Jo Pinner believes access to up-to-date guidance and research around pregnancy is critical in ensuring elite athletes feel safe to start a family and return to sport post-partum.

The 32-year-old gave birth to son Josh at the end of April and was back training with her team in September, the first England hockey player to return to the fold after having a baby.

With no precedent within her own team, she was among the first to benefit from UK Sport’s comprehensive pregnancy guidelines for elite athletes, released in 2021, and was delighted to see some of her own feedback incorporated in an update set to be released on Thursday.

Pinner, who before the initial guidance was developed thought her only options were to retire or delay starting a family, told the PA news agency: “I think it’s absolutely critical.

“We’re athletes, we do training. That’s our bread and butter, that’s what we’re here for. There is no (other) way athletes would be equipped with that knowledge.

“A big part of it was the medical side and safety, how to train safely, what’s safe to do in training, what can I take supplements-wise, all these things.

“There’s no way we could (even) be expected to be equipped with all of that knowledge. It gives athletes the confidence and trust that they are there, that there are many things less to worry about.”

While Pinner did not experience difficulty conceiving, she is enthusiastic about the inclusion of a new appendix specifically addressing fertility, while additions around financial and emotional support for miscarriage ensure there is advice for those at every stage of the journey.

A new group, the Athlete Pregnancy Network, has also been set up to facilitate conversation, connection and advice-sharing between peers.

Pinner is part of a growing group of women who returned to elite sport after giving birth, including Women’s World Cup winner Alex Morgan, Chelsea footballer Melanie Leupolz, five-time Olympic gold medallist Laura Kenny and fellow Olympic champions Helen Glover and Jessica Ennis-Hill, while retired wheelchair tennis player Jordanne Whiley in 2017 revealed she had won the Wimbledon doubles title while 11 weeks pregnant.

UK Sport’s latest update also includes advice about managing multiple pregnancies within a single Olympic or Paralympic cycle and Pinner hopes there will be another edition in the future with even more guidance surrounding return to sport, potentially incorporating learnings from athletes like her who have gone through the process.

Pinner, who is part of a WhatsApp group of other athlete mums and mums-to-be, is eager to keep sharing her own journey with fellow sportswomen and policymakers in the hope she might make a difference for someone else down the line.

She added: “I say yes to everything, because I only think it is going to help other women. I have had comments of ‘wow, it’s cool to see that you are actually doing it because it gives me confidence in the future’ from some of the younger ones on the team.

“(Being a pioneer) is not why I did it, but it’s quite nice. I think if there was another hockey player that did it before me, a lot of my stresses may have been relieved or I could at least speak to somebody.

“I like to hope that if the next person does it, they can take a bit of confidence that I have.”