Can my Pre & Postnatal Personal Training be Covered by Insurance?

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Can my Pre & Postnatal Personal Training be Covered by Insurance?

The short answer is: YES!

Here are some options that can help you get your personal training sessions covered by insurance or other benefits.

Option #1:   Use your HSA/FSA (or set one up)!

Health savings accounts (HSA’s) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA’s) are when you make contributions to your own special bank account that has been specifically dedicated to health and medical needs. This can be done one your own at any time using any qualified HSA or FSA company/bank It is also common for corporations to offer HSA & FSA as an employee benefit, in which employees and employers can pay into these accounts, with tax-deductible contributions. Employers will sometimes match your contributions. If you aren’t sure if you’re eligible for one through your company, ask your Human Resources department!

This can be as easy as using your HSA/FSA dedicated bank card to make any health-related purchase. However, certain plans may be more flexible than others, meaning that you may want to check with your HSA/FSA insurance provider to confirm if personal training is indeed covered in your case.

Option #2: Ask your doctor to write you a prescription for personal training!

It is so well known now that exercise is a key ingredient for health and wellness during pregnancy & postpartum, as well as for diseases. Consider inquiring with your doctor if you have a condition like:

  1. Preeclampsia (Pregnancy-induced hypertension / high blood pressure)
  2. Gestational diabetes
  3. Weight gain, and/or overweight/obesity
  4. Placental Insufficiency –
  5. Depression, Anxiety and Mental Health
  6. Urinary tract infection
  7. Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy

If your doctor agrees that exercise could help any of these conditions, he/she should be able to write a prescription for you to obtain personal training with insurance reimbursing part or all of the cost.

Some of the nuance with this option is in helping your doctor to remember that exercise is actually a research-proven mode of reversing disease (something that your doctor should be excited to help you achieve; and something that your insurance company should also be excited to cover, so that they save money on other more invasive and costly procedures later). In this case, you may want to also call your insurance company to confirm that they will indeed reimburse you for your pre & postnatal personal training.

The charts found later in this article can be presented to your doctor and insurance company. In addition, Fit For Birth is happy to provide your doctor and insurance company with a letter and consultation notes, and any other documentation that will help you inspire them to reimburse your costs of personal training.

Option #3: Ask your Insurance provider to reimburse personal training!

“Health insurance carriers are in the market for business. One of the ways that they achieve business is through differentiation. Some may play strictly for the lowest price point, trying to win over the business in that way. Those that differentiate from one to another, though, are going to be the carriers that offer up unique coverage types. Personal training coverage is going to fall under this unique coverage area. Not all health insurance carriers are going to allow you to have coverage for the sessions you take, but some will.”[1]

Your insurance company can help you directly in two ways:

  1. Coverage – If your insurance plan covers personal training already, then woo hoo! You’ve got an amazing health insurance plan; one that is thoughtful and progresive enough to emphasize prevention instead of chasing symptoms. Just ask them what documentation they need to see in order to receive your benefits.
  2. Reimbursement – Your insurance company may offer general coverage for nearly any “solution” that seems to be helpful. Reimbursement can potentially occur in two forms:
    • Reimbursement from Doctor Prescription – If you receive a prescription or referral from a doctor, you should be able to get the cost of your training reimbursed through your insurance company. (You may want to call your insurance company to determine which kinds of doctor prescriptions may be covered.)
    • Reimbursement by customer request – Call your insurance provider to ask which conditions would warrant them covering/reimbursing you for personal training.

Whether you’re asking your doctor for a prescription or calling your insurance company to inquire, it may be helpful for you to provide them with scientifically proven evidence showing them that exercise is a valid option. (Examples of “diseases” that your insurance company may be more likely to cover/reimburse may include: Preeclampsia, Gestational diabetes, Weight gain, and/or overweight/obesity, Placental Insufficiency, Depression, Anxiety, Mental Health, Urinary tract infection, Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy.)

The charts below can be presented to your doctor and insurance company. Again, Fit For Birth is happy to provide your doctor and insurance company with a letter and consultation notes, and any other documentation that will help you inspire them to reimburse your costs of personal training.

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Insurance, in Practice (What to Expect)

Inspiring your doctor to confirm that exercise is indeed medically necessary is probably the easiest route to getting insurance to cover personal training, considering how conventional medicine currently operates. This, in turn, inspires the insurance company to pay or reimburse your personal training services.

Getting your doctor’s backing in this manner is also going to help confirm that your HSA/FSA spending is indeed valid and therefore tax deductible.

However, if your doctor is unable or unwilling to help, or if you don’t have a doctor, it is possible that you can show your insurance company the updated research on exercise during pregnancy and postpartum, and inspire them to reimburse your personal training expenses.

Whether you are intending to inspire your doctor, or the insurance company directly, here is a list of already proven scientific research confirming why they should support (and pay for your personal training services) to help keep you accountable with exercise:

  1. Reduced likelihood of preeclampsia (Pregnancy-induced hypertension / high blood pressure). Active women are at a “significantly reduced risk of preeclampsia.”[2]
  2. Reduced likelihood of gestational diabetes[3],[4]
  3. Less weight gain (moms who exercise average 7 fewer pounds and 3% less fat)
  4. Placental function is 15% better in moms who exercise, which is a “considerable benefit…in delivering oxygen and nutrients to the fetus”[5] (Improved nutrient and waste exchange for baby.)
  5. “Physical exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a safe strategy to achieve better psychological well-being and to reduce postpartum depressive symptoms.”[6]
  6. Although Fit For Birth was unable to corroborate that “UTIs [urinary tract infections] seemed to be particularly affected by exercise”[7], there is some evidence that UTI’s[8] as well as bacterial infections in general[9],[10] may occur less frequently in those who exercise.
  7. Preliminary findings exploring the relationship of morning sickness (nausea and vomiting of pregnancy) in those who exercise clearly show an inverse relationship, although more research is needed to determine if exercise is a true cause of less nausea and vomiting.[11] 

Unfortunately, insurance is typically more reactive than proactive, meaning that although exercise is also scientifically proven to assist so much in pregnancy, labor and delivery, it is not yet usual for insurance to cover your personal training for any of the following scientifically proven benefits of exercise during pregnancy:

  1. A full one-third less time spent in labor, as well as a 75% reduction in exhaustion during labor
  2. 35% decreased need for pain relief such as an epidural
  3. 50% decreased risk of non-surgical interventions such as:
    • Labor induction
    • Artificially rupturing your membranes (which can lead to infection, prolapsed cord, & breech delivery)
    • Abnormalities in fetal heart rate (low heart rate, presence of meconium, and cord entanglement)
  1. 55% decreased risk of episiotomy
  2. 75% decrease risk of C-section
  3. Fewer fetal interventions
  4. Fewer pregnancy complications
  5. Increased physical health scores in your baby
  6. Increased intelligence scores in your baby
  7. Reduced likelihood of Macrosomia (that your baby will be overweight)

So as your doctor and insurance company can hopefully see, there are tons of reasons why paying for personal training will actually save your insurance company way more money than having to pay for the various treatments that can often happen when a pregnant person does not exercise. Specifically above, we outlined 7 “disease conditions” and more than 10 additional challenges that are known to occur more frequently within the pregnancy, labor and postpartum time frames.

Finally, if you would like a handy chart to show your doctor and/or insurance company regarding the first 7 preventable/reversible conditions, you can find it here. And if you’d like a referenced chart for the remaining 10, just let us know….

7 Common Pregnancy ConditionsScientific Proof for why your insurance company should help keep you accountable with exercise (by paying for your personal training services)
Preeclampsia (Pregnancy-induced hypertension / high blood pressure)Reduced likelihood of preeclampsia (Pregnancy-induced hypertension / high blood pressure). Active women are at a “significantly reduced risk of preeclampsia.”[12]
Gestational diabetesReduced likelihood of gestational diabetes[13],[14]
Weight gain, and/or overweight/obesityLess weight gain (moms who exercise average 7 fewer pounds and 3% less fat)
Placental Insufficiency – “With this condition, the placenta can’t deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to the baby”[15]Placental function is 15% better in moms who exercise, which is a “considerable benefit…in delivering oxygen and nutrients to the fetus”[16]
Depression, Anxiety and Mental Health“Physical exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period is a safe strategy to achieve better psychological well-being and to reduce postpartum depressive symptoms.”[17]
Urinary Tract InfectionAlthough Fit For Birth was unable to corroborate that “UTIs [urinary tract infections] seemed to be particularly affected by exercise”[18], there is some evidence that UTI’s[19] as well as bacterial infections in general[20],[21] may occur less frequently in those who exercise.
Nausea and Vomiting of PregnancyPreliminary findings exploring the relationship of morning sickness (nausea and vomiting of pregnancy) in those who exercise clearly show an inverse relationship, although more research is needed to determine if exercise is a true cause of less nausea and vomiting.[22] 

[1] 2020. Tyler Spraul. Will Health Insurance Cover a Personal Trainer. Exercise.com. Retrieved 3/20/22 from https://www.exercise.com/learn/does-health-insurance-pay-for-personal-trainers/

[2] 2017. Spracklen, et al. Physical Activity during Pregnancy and Subsequent Risk of Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension: a Case Control Study. Maternal and Child Health Journal. NCBI. Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5538351/

[3] 2021. Ehrich, et al. Exercise During the First Trimester of Pregnancy and the Risks of Abnormal Screening and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. EPIDEMIOLOGY/HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. Diabetes Care. “Exercise reduces the risks of…GDM.” Retrieved 3/21/22 from doi.org/10.2337/dc20-1475

[4] 2015. Padayachee. Coombes. Exercise guidelines for gestational diabetes mellitus. World Journal of Diabetes. NIH. Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4515443/

[5] 2004. Varney, Kriebs, Gegor. Varney’s Midwifery, 4th Edition. p. 193

[6] 2017. Poyatos-Leon, et al. Effects of exercise-based interventions on postpartum depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Birth. PubMed. Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28589648/

[7] n.d. Can exercise help keep the infection away? Shapes Fitness for Women.

[8] 2019. Nieman. Wentz. The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system. Journal of Sport and Health Science. “Physical activity may lower rates of infection for other types of viral and bacterial diseases..” Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6523821/

[9] 2020. Chen, et al. The impact of exercise on patients with dementia. Medicine. “our result showed a trend exercise has a lower incidence of falling down, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection in mild dementia subgroup” Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2020&issue=06050&article=00070&type=Fulltext

[10] 2016. Pape, et al. Leisure-time physical activity and the risk of suspected bacterial infections. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. “Low leisure-time physical activity is associated with a statistically significant 10% lower risk of suspected bacterial infections during a 1-yr follow-up compared with sedentary behavior.” Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2016/09000/Leisure_Time_Physical_Activity_and_the_Risk_of.13.aspx

[11] 2019. Connolly, et al. Associations Among Work-Related and Leisure-Time Physical Activity With Level of Nausea During Pregnancy. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. “These findings suggest an inverse relationship between first trimester PA and level of nausea.”  PA = Physical activity.Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6600623/

[12] 2017. Spracklen, et al. Physical Activity during Pregnancy and Subsequent Risk of Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension: a Case Control Study. Maternal and Child Health Journal. NCBI. Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5538351/

[13] 2021. Ehrich, et al. Exercise During the First Trimester of Pregnancy and the Risks of Abnormal Screening and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. EPIDEMIOLOGY/HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. Diabetes Care. “Exercise reduces the risks of…GDM.” Retrieved 3/21/22 from doi.org/10.2337/dc20-1475

[14] 2015. Padayachee. Coombes. Exercise guidelines for gestational diabetes mellitus. World Journal of Diabetes. NIH. Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4515443/

[15] 2020. Rene Wisely. 5 Placenta Issues Every Woman Should Know. University of Michigan. MIchigan Medicine. Retrieved 3/21/22 from

[16] 2004. Varney, Kriebs, Gegor. Varney’s Midwifery, 4th Edition. p. 193

[17] 2017. Poyatos-Leon, et al. Effects of exercise-based interventions on postpartum depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Birth. PubMed. Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28589648/

[18] n.d. Can exercise help keep the infection away? Shapes Fitness for Women.

[19] 2019. Nieman. Wentz. The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system. Journal of Sport and Health Science. “Physical activity may lower rates of infection for other types of viral and bacterial diseases..” Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6523821/

[20] 2020. Chen, et al. The impact of exercise on patients with dementia. Medicine. “our result showed a trend exercise has a lower incidence of falling down, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection in mild dementia subgroup” Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2020&issue=06050&article=00070&type=Fulltext

[21] 2016. Pape, et al. Leisure-time physical activity and the risk of suspected bacterial infections. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. “Low leisure-time physical activity is associated with a statistically significant 10% lower risk of suspected bacterial infections during a 1-yr follow-up compared with sedentary behavior.” Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2016/09000/Leisure_Time_Physical_Activity_and_the_Risk_of.13.aspx

[22] 2019. Connolly, et al. Associations Among Work-Related and Leisure-Time Physical Activity With Level of Nausea During Pregnancy. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. “These findings suggest an inverse relationship between first trimester PA and level of nausea.” PA = Physical activity.Retrieved 3/21/22 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6600623/

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