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Cardiovascular effects of exercise training in pregnant people with a high body mass index: secondary results from a
Trine Moholdt1,2, Kirsti Krohn Garnæs1,2, Idunn Pernille Vik1
1Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Objectives:
We aimed to determine the effectiveness of exercise training during pregnancy on peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak), cardiac function and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery throughout pregnancy and post partum in individuals with a prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) ≥28 kg/m2.
Trial Design:
Parallel-group randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Methods:
The exercise group in the Exercise Training in Pregnancy (ETIP) RCT was offered 3 weekly supervised exercise sessions comprising 35 min of moderate-intensity treadmill walking followed by 25 min of strength exercises. The intervention started in gestational weeks 12-18 and continued throughout pregnancy. We measured V̇O2peak and FMD at baseline, in gestational weeks 34-37 and 3 months post partum and offered echocardiography in gestational weeks 14, 20, and 32, and 6-8 weeks postpartum.
Results:
Of the 91 participants included in ETIP, 87 participants (age: 31.3±4.2 years, BMI: 34.6±4.3 kg/m2) provided data on V̇O2peak, cardiac function and/or FMD. There was no statistically significant effect of exercise training on V̇O2peak in gestational weeks 34-37, with an estimated effect of 1.7 mL/min/kg (95% CI -0.4 to 3.7, p=0.112) or post partum (1.6 mL/min/kg, 95% CI -0.2 to 3.4, p=0.079), compared with the control group. There were no statistically significant between-group differences in either FMD or any of the echocardiographic outcomes. Only 50% of the participants in the exercise group fulfilled our prespecified adherence criteria.
Conclusion:
Offering pregnant individuals with BMI ≥28 kg/m2, a supervised exercise intervention did not improve cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiac function or FMD.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT01243554.
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