Maternal hemodynamic responses to two different types of moderate physical exercise during pregnancy: a randomized clinical trial
Abstract
Background/Aim: Maternal hemodynamic responses (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) were compared during two types of moderate-intensity physical exercise.
Methods: A randomized clinical trial compared 120 pregnant women performing physical exercise on a treadmill (n=64) or stationary bicycle (n=56). In 44 of these women (n=23 treadmill; n=21 bicycle), blood pressure was monitored for 24 hours following exercise. Repeated-measures analysis compared maternal heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure before, during and in the 24 hours following exercise in both groups.
Results: Maternal heart rate increased significantly (p<0.001) with both types of exercise (from 84 at rest to 112 bpm on the treadmill and from 87 at rest to 107 bpm on the bicycle), without exceeding the limit of 140 bpm. Systolic pressure increased from 110 at rest to 118 mmHg on the bicycle (p=0.06) and from 112 at rest to 120 mmHg on the treadmill (p=0.02). Systolic pressure dropped steadily following exercise, reaching its lowest level (104 mmHg) after 14 hours, increasing thereafter and returning to pre-exercise levels by the 19th hour. Diastolic pressure increased during exercise irrespective of the type of exercise (p=0.27), from 70 at rest to 75 mmHg on the bicycle (p=0.39) and from 70 at rest to 76 mmHg on the treadmill (p=0.18), with the lowest level (59 mmHg) being at the 13th hour.
Conclusions: A slight increase in blood pressure levels was found during exercise; however, this was not clinically significant and was followed by a substantial hypotensive effect that lasted around 19 hours.
Register: Clinical Trials NCT01383889.
References
2. Committee on Obstetric Practice. ACOG committee opinion. Exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Number 267, January 2002. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2002;77:79-81.
3. Yeo S, Davidge ST. Possible beneficial effect of exercise, by reducing oxidative stress, on the incidence of preeclampsia. J Womens Health Gend Based Med 2001;10:983-9.
4. Yeo S. Adherence to walking or stretching, and risk of preeclampsia in sedentary pregnant women. Res Nurs Health 2009;32:379-90.
5. Yeo S, Steele NM, Chang MC, et al. Effect of exercise on blood pressure in pregnant women with a high risk of gestational hypertensive disorders. J Reprod Med 2000;45:293-8.
6. Meher S, Duley L. Exercise or other physical activity for preventing pre-eclampsia and its complications. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006;(2):CD005942.
7. Mota MR, Jacó de Oliveira R, Dutra MT, et al. Acute and chronic effects of resistive exercise on blood pressure in hypertensive elderly women. J Strength Cond Res 2013 Mar 8.
8. Halliwill JR, Buck TM, Lacewell AN, et al. Postexercise hypotension and sustained postexercise vasodilatation: what happens after we exercise? Exp Physiol 2013;98:7-18.
9. Chasan-Taber L, Schmidt MD, Roberts DE, et al. Development and validation of a Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004;36:1750-60.
10. Schulz KF, Altman DG, Moher D; CONSORT Group. CONSORT 2010 Statement: Updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials. J Clin Epidemiol 2010;63:834-40.
11. Borg GA. Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1982;14:377-81.
12. O’Brien E, Asmar R, Beilin L, et al. European Society of Hypertension recommendations for conventional, ambulatory and home blood pressure measurement. J Hypertens 2003;21:821-48.
13. Polito MD, Farinatti PT. [Blood pressure behavior after counter-resistance exercises: a systematic review on determining variables and possible mechanisms]. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte 2006;12:386-92.
14. Coelho BT, Polito MD. [Acute effect of an aquagym session on blood pressure response in non-hypertensive pregnant women]. Revista da SOCERJ 2009;22:75-9.
15. Katz VL. Exercise in water during pregnancy. Clin Obstet Gynecol 2003;46:432-41.
16. Finkelstein I, de Figueiredo PA, Alberton CL, et al. Cardiorespiratory responses during and after water exercise in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet 2011;33:388-94.
17. Guidry MA, Blanchard BE, Thompson PD, et al. The influence of short and long duration on the blood pressure response to an acute bout of dynamic exercise. Am Heart J 2006;151:1322.e5-12.
18. Jones H, George K, Edwards B, et al. Is the magnitude of acute post-exercise hypotension mediated by exercise intensity or total work done? Eur J Appl Physiol 2007;102:33-40.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright policies & self-archiving
We are a RoMEO green journal.
Author's Pre-print: 
author can archive pre-print (ie pre-refereeing)
Author's Post-print: author can archive post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing)
Publisher's Version/PDF: author can archive publisher's version/PDF
Copyright ownership
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access and Benefits of Publishing Open Access).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Articles are published Under License of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License © Copyright Policy
Any permissions should be requested to PLSclear.com
