ABSTRACT
The increase in body weight and the change in body shape are the most obvious changes which occur during pregnancy. This may affect how a woman performs everyday tasks such as lifting and manual handling. It may also affect the perception of exertion of the tasks. Nicholls and Grieve (1992) reported an increased perception of difficulty in the performance of physical tasks as pregnancy progresses. Weight gain is greatest in the later stages of pregnancy but the early stages are important in the adaptation to the changes. Ahlborg et al. (1990) and Peters et al. (1984) indicated the need to examine specific manual tasks and determine how their performance is affected by pregnancy. Physiological and psychological responses to tasks should be monitored, in an attempt to determine how performance is affected.
