Influence Of Maternal Exercise Research Articles

Influence of prenatal exercise on the relationship between maternal overweight and obesity and select delivery outcomes

Women with overweight or obesity (OWOB) have an increased risk of cesarean birth, preterm birth (PTB), and high birth weight infants. Although regular exercise decreases this risk in healthy weight women, these associations have not been explored in OWOB. Women were randomized at 13–16 weeks’ gestation to 150-min of moderate-intensity exercise (n = 131) or non-exercising control (n = 61). Delivery mode, gestational age (GA), and birth weight (BW) were obtained via electronic health records. Pregnant exercisers had no differences in risk of cesarean birth, PTB, or BW compared to control participants. OWOB exercisers had higher rates of cesarean birth (27.1% vs. 11.1%), trends of higher PTB (15.3% vs. 5.6%), but normal weight babies relative to normal weight exercisers. Controlling for race and body mass index (BMI), maternal exercise reduced the relative risk (RR) for cesarean birth from 1.63 to 1.43. Cesarean births predicted by pre-pregnancy BMI and fitness level, whereas BW was predicted by race, gestational weight gain (GWG), pre-pregnancy fitness level, and exercise level. Cesarean birth was predicted by pre-pregnancy BMI and fitness level, while maternal exercise reduced the magnitudes of the relative risks of cesarean birth. Maternal exercise, pre-pregnancy fitness level, and GWG predict neonatal BW.Trial Registration: Influence of Maternal Exercise on Infant Skeletal Muscle and Metabolomics-#NCT03838146, 12/02/2019, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/template/EditRecord.vm?epmode=Edit&listmode=Edit&uid=U0003Z0X&ts=8&sid=S0008FWJ&cx=77ud1i.

Influence of Maternal Exercise on Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Offspring Stem Cells: ENHANCED by Mom.

Recent preclinical data suggest exercise during pregnancy can improve the metabolic phenotype not only of the mother, but of the developing offspring as well. However, investigations in human offspring are lacking. To characterize the effect of maternal aerobic exercise on the metabolic phenotype of the offspring's mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Randomized controlled trial. Clinical research facility. Healthy female adults between 18 and 35 years of age and ≤ 16 weeks' gestation. Mothers were randomized into 1 of 2 groups: aerobic exercise (AE, n = 10) or nonexercise control (CTRL, n = 10). The AE group completed 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity exercise, according to American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, during pregnancy, whereas controls attended stretching sessions. Following delivery, MSCs were isolated from the umbilical cord of the offspring and metabolic tracer and immunoblotting experiments were completed in the undifferentiated (D0) or myogenically differentiated (D21) state. AE-MSCs at D0 had an elevated fold-change over basal in insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis and reduced nonoxidized glucose metabolite (NOGM) production (P ≤ 0.05). At D21, AE-MSCs had a significant elevation in glucose partitioning toward oxidation (oxidation/NOGM ratio) compared with CTRL (P ≤ 0.05). Immunoblot analysis revealed elevated complex I expression in the AE-MSCs at D21 (P ≤ 0.05). Basal and palmitate-stimulated lipid metabolism was similar between groups at D0 and D21. These data provide evidence of a programmed metabolic phenotype in human offspring with maternal AE during pregnancy.

Influence of maternal physical exercise on fetal and maternal heart rate responses

This study aims to determine if regular maternal physical exercise leads to measurable adaptations of the fetal autonomic nervous system (fANS) tested by fetal heart rate recovery time. A randomized controlled trial enrolled 131 pregnant women into two study groups, Exercise Group (EG) and Control Group (CG). All participants signed an informed consent, study was approved by the local Clinical Research Ethics Committee. Data was analyzed on 81 participants.EG participants (n = 43) received a supervised physical exercise program (PEP) three times a week from 10–12 to 36–40 weeks gestation. CG participants (n = 38) did not receive any supervised PEP. All women were tested between 34–36 weeks gestation using two walking tests of three minutes each at 40% and 60% maternal heart rate reserve. Resting fetal heart rate (FHR), FHR post-maternal exercise, and fetal recovery time (FRT) in minutes/seconds (m/s) were recorded. Resting FHR was similar between groups 140.88 ± 9 EG vs 141.95 ± 7.35 CG (p > .05). Difference in resting to post-maternal exercise FHR was statistically significant in fetuses from the CG (p < .05), however was not statistically significant in fetuses from the EG (p > .05). FRT was different between groups after both tests: 40% test: 2m15s ± 3m19s EG vs 7m6s ± 5m28s CG (p < .001); 60% test: 3m ± 4m3s EG vs 9m25s ± 7m33s CG (p < .001). There were no significant differences in maternal variables (p > .05), except for maternal recovery time after 40% test (p < .05). Influence of maternal exercise in FHR response still remains unclear. Further research is needed to elicit a former conclusion on the effects of maternal exercise on fANS. Overall, exercise during pregnancy is safe and not harmful for the cardiovascular system of the fetus.

Influence of maternal exercise on fetal heart response during labor and delivery.

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine if prenatal exercise alters the maternal and fetal heart responses during labor and delivery. We hypothesized that fetuses of exercising mothers would exhibit a lower baseline heart rate (HR), increased HR variability (HRV), and no differences in fetal heart accelerations and decelerations.DesignThis study employed a cross‐sectional design.MethodsThe Modifiable Physical Activity Questionnaire was used for group classification. Exercising women were those participating in 30 minutes of moderate‐to‐vigorous exercise at least 3×/week throughout the entire pregnancy. Women achieving a lower dose of exercise were classified as non‐exercisers. Cardiotocography recordings during the first hour of labor and delivery assessed fetal baseline HR, HRV, accelerations, decelerations, and contractions. ANCOVA analyses were performed to assess group differences in these outcomes and were adjusted for maternal body mass index.ResultsThirty‐one women were included in the analyses. No group mean differences were found for maternal and fetal characteristics, except for maternal age (EX: mean (SD) 28.5 (±4.6y) vs NON‐EX: 24.1 (±1.2y)). After controlling for body mass index, no statistical differences in maternal HR response (β = 3.9, SE = 5.0, 95%CI −6.4‐14.2) or fetal HR response (β = 3.9, SE = 2.5, 95%CI −1.2‐9.11), accelerations and decelerations (β= −0.03, SE = 0.4, 95%CI −0.9‐0.8; β= −0.10, SE = 0.4, 95%CI −0.8‐0.9, respectively), or HRV (β = 0.6, SE = 1.7, 95%CI −2.8‐4.0) were observed.ConclusionsBased on the findings of this study, we found no evidence that maternal exercise during pregnancy was associated with maternal or fetal HR response during labor and delivery. These data suggest maternal exercise may not elicit positive or negative effects on maternal and fetal cardiovascular responses to the physiological stress of labor and delivery.

Fetal Heart Rate Variability Following An Acute Bout Of Maternal Exercise During Pregnancy

PURPOSE: It is well known that the fetal environment influences the development of the fetus’ nervous system. For example, pregnant mothers who regularly engage in aerobic exercise give birth to babies with greater brain maturity (May et al. 2014; LeMoyne et al. 2013). This suggests that the autonomic nervous system of the fetus may be stimulated while the mother is exercising. The purpose of this study was to examine fetal cardiac-autonomic function following an acute bout of maternal exercise. METHODS: Electrocardiograms were placed on a group of 10 pregnant women in order to detect fetal cardiovascular activity. Participants then completed 30-minutes of cycling at 50% of their maximum oxygen consumption. Fetal Heart Rate (HR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) were analyzed for 5 minutes before the start of exercise and for a period of 10 minutes immediately after the exercise session. RESULTS: A series of one-way repeated measure ANOVAs revealed that spectral power of fetal HR was significantly greater immediately following exercise cessation, as indicated by increased absolute power at very-low (VLF), low (LF), intermediate (intF) and high frequencies (HF) (ps<0.05). Furthermore, fetal HRV was significantly greater immediately following exercise cessation, as indicated by an increase in the standard deviation of beat-to-beat intervals (SDNN/NN) and root mean square standard deviation (RMSSD/NN) (ps<0.05). These modifications returned to pre-exercise baseline within 10 minutes of exercise cessation. CONCLUSIONS: An acute bout of exercise during pregnancy leads to significant alterations in multiple fetal HRV parameters, suggesting a modification in fetal cardiac-autonomic activity. The current findings add to our knowledge regarding the influence of maternal exercise on fetal cardiac-autonomic function, reaffirming the benefit of maternal exercise on fetal health.

P234: Influence of maternal exercise on fetal and maternal hemodynamics and cervical structure in singleton and twin pregnancies

P234: Influence of maternal exercise on fetal and maternal hemodynamics and cervical structure in singleton and twin pregnancies

Influence of Maternal Exercise on Infant Skeletal Muscle and Metabolomics

Influence of Maternal Exercise on Infant Skeletal Muscle and Metabolomics

The influence of maternal exercise on the pulsatility index of the umbilical artery blood velocity waveform

Doppler bloodflow velocity measurements in the umbilical arteries are quite generally used as a parameter for obstetrical management, notwithstanding the fact that restricted knowledge is available about the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of human umbilical circulation. The possible effects of maternal haemodynamic changes on the fetal circulation are only scarcely investigated. In a prospective study the effect of maternal exercise on the Pulsatility Index (PI) values measured in the umbilical artery with a pulsed Doppler device was assessed to investigate the need of standardization with respect to maternal exertion. The studied group consisted of 23 women with uncomplicated pregnancies of various gestational age, who underwent a moderate strain. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in FHR and PI values before and after exercise, so it is concluded that it is not necessary to introduce a period of rest to precede a Doppler investigation.

The influence of maternal exercise on the uteroplacental vascular bed resistance and the fetal heart rate during normal pregnancy

The effects of maternal exercise were studied in 20 healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies. A continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound system was used to record arterial flow velocity waveforms from the ascending vasculature downstream from the uterine artery. The fetal heart rate was monitored with a Doppler ultrasound cardiotocograph. No significant change was found in the uterine blood flow velocity waveform post-exercise, as expressed by the pulsatility index, suggesting absence of change in the uterine vascular bed resistance. The fetal heart rate significantly increased after exercise.

Exercise during pregnancy: maternal and fetal responses. A brief review

Since many physiological, metabolic, and endocrine changes that occur during pregnancy are evident even at rest, the alterations found during exercise may not necessarily be the same as those found in the normal population. Nonetheless, the exercise-induced cardiopulmonary changes are essentially normal or slightly exaggerated during pregnancy. The energy cost of cycle exercise is unchanged during pregnancy; however, the increased weight bearing, especially evident in late pregnancy, adds to the exercise effort during walking, climbing, or jogging. Aerobic work capacity remains unchanged during pregnancy, and typical training adaptations can be found during pregnancy. Hypoglycemia occurs more easily during exercise in pregnant women, even though lipid provision is exaggerated during late pregnancy. The influence of maternal exercise on the fetus is evident in changed heart rhythm and breathing patterns of the fetus. Pregnant patients with utero-placental insufficiency are more likely to have these fetal changes during exercise. Severe hyperthermia should be avoided during pregnancy. Animal studies indicate that some aspects of fetal metabolism are affected by maternal exercise; whether the reduction in uterine blood flow found during heavy exercise exacerbates this response is not known. Birth weight is unaffected when healthy well-nourished mothers participate in mild to moderate exercise programs during pregnancy. However, more intense exercise programs during pregnancy in animals can cause changes in fetal growth and litter size.