Exercise Habits During Pregnancy and Correlation With Weight Gain and Obstetric Outcomes [21R

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: ACOG recommends pregnant women exercise 30 minutes or more on most days of the week. While there are many overall health benefits to exercise, there is little conclusive evidence on the correlation between prenatal exercise on weight gain during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, or obstetric outcomes. METHODS: A prospective survey evaluating exercise habits during each trimester of pregnancy was performed. Exercise level was defined as total number of trimesters (0, 1, 2 or 3) achieving greater than 150 minutes of exercise per week. Weight gain, incidence of pregnancy complications and obstetric outcomes were obtained from the prenatal record and analyzed by exercise level. RESULTS: 462 women met criteria for analysis. There was no difference in prepregnancy BMI or weight gain in pregnancy between exercise groups. Similarly, there was no significant difference in incidence of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, cervical insufficiency, gestational age at delivery, fetal weight, or mode of delivery between groups. There was a higher incidence of depression among pregnant women who did not exercise in comparison to those who exercised greater than 150 minutes in at least one trimester of pregnancy (P<.05). CONCLUSION: Our study did not demonstrate a significant association between exercise during pregnancy and maternal weight gain, pregnancy complications, or obstetric outcomes, with the exception of a higher rate of depression in women who did not exercise. However, our assessment focused on exercise habits, and did not assess dietary intake, sleep habits, or other positive health habits, which may be important indicators of weight gain and obstetric outcomes.