A program of exercise throughout pregnancy. Is it safe to mother and newborn?

The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of a program of moderate physical exercise throughout pregnancy on maternal and fetal parameters.

The study design was a randomized controlled trial.

The study took place at the Hospital of Fuenlabrada in Madrid, Spain.

Analyzed were 200 pregnant women (31.54 ± 3.86 years), all of whom had uncomplicated and singleton gestation. Of these subjects, 107 were allocated to the exercise group (EG) and 93 to the control group (CG).

Women from EG participated in a physical conditioning program throughout pregnancy, which included a total of 55- to 60-minute weekly sessions, 3 days per week.

Pregnancy outcomes. Maternal: gestational age, weight gain, type of delivery, blood pressure during pregnancy, gestational diabetes (n/%). Fetal: birth weight, birth size, head circumference, Apgar score, pH of umbilical cord.

Student's unpaired t-test and χ (2) test were used; p values of ≤ .05 indicated statistical significance. Cohen's d was used to determine the effect size.

There were significantly more pregnant women in the CG who gained excessive weight during their pregnancies than in the EG group (CG: N = 31, 35.6% versus N = 22, 21.2%; χ(2) = 4.95; p =.02). The effect size was small (Phi value =.16). Other pregnancy outcome showed no differences between groups.

A regular and moderate physical exercise program throughout pregnancy is not a risk to maternal and fetal well-being, and it helps to control excessive weight gain.