Restricted physical activity in pregnancy reduces maternal vascular resistance and improves fetal growth

To test the efficacy of maternal activity restriction for reducing peripheral vascular resistance in normotensive pregnant women with raised total vascular resistance (TVR) and to evaluate its effect on fetal growth.

This was a prospective case-control study of 30 women enrolled between 27 and 29 weeks' gestation. All patients met the following criteria: normal blood pressure before and during pregnancy, TVR between 1300 and 1400 dynes × s/cm⁵ at enrolment, normal fetal Doppler parameters at enrolment and abdominal circumference between the 10^th and 25^th centiles. Patients were assigned to activity restriction (activity-restriction group; n = 15) or no treatment (control group; n = 15) and were assessed after 4 weeks for TVR and fetal growth.

TVR at enrolment and estimated fetal weight centile were similar in the activity-restriction group vs controls (1358 ± 26 vs 1353 ± 30 dynes × s/cm⁵ ; 18^th  ± 4 vs 19^th  ± 4 centile; P = NS). After 4 weeks, the activity-restriction group compared with controls showed significantly lower TVR (1165 ± 159 vs 1314 ± 190 dynes × s/cm⁵ ; P < 0.05), which was associated with higher estimated fetal weight centile (25^th  ± 5 vs 20^th  ± 5 centile; P < 0.05). TVR was lower and estimated fetal weight centile higher for the activity-restriction group after 4 weeks compared with at enrolment.

In normotensive pregnant women with raised TVR, maternal activity restriction appears to be effective in reducing TVR and therefore enhancing fetal growth. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.