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Effects of chronic exercise on blood volume expansion and hematologic indices during pregnancy
J M Pivarnik1, M B Mauer, N A Ayres
1Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston.
Objective:
To compare blood volumes and hematologic indices between nine aerobically trained, physically active pregnant women who continued to exercise throughout gestation and five healthy yet sedentary gravidas.
Methods:
Subjects were tested on three occasions: 25 and 36 weeks of pregnancy and 12 weeks postpartum. Plasma volumes were estimated by dye dilution with Evans blue. Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein with the subjects resting in a seated, semirecumbent position. In addition to plasma volume estimations, blood samples were analyzed for hematocrit ratio, hemoglobin concentration, red cell count, and plasma protein concentration. Blood volumes and red cell volumes were calculated from plasma volume estimates and hematocrit ratios.
Results:
Average birth weight and length of gestation did not differ between the subject groups. Analysis of variance indicated that absolute blood volume measures were significantly greater (P < .01) in the physically active compared to sedentary subjects at all three test times. Similar results were found for plasma and red cell volumes (P < .01). Blood volumes relative to body weight were significantly higher in physically active subjects (P < .01) than in their sedentary counterparts at 25 weeks (88.5 versus 75.5 mL/kg) and at 36 weeks (88.4 versus 70.9 mL/kg), as well as at 12 weeks postpartum (72.2 versus 57.6 mL/kg). All vascular volumes were significantly (P < .001) lower at 12 weeks postpartum compared to those seen during pregnancy in both subject groups. Hematologic indices of hematocrit ratio, hemoglobin concentration, red cell count, and plasma protein concentration were all greater (P < .001) at 12 weeks postpartum than during pregnancy.
Conclusions:
Physically active women possessed significantly greater vascular volumes than their sedentary counterparts. Although this difference was maintained throughout gestation as the active gravidas continued to exercise, there was no apparent effect on pregnancy outcome.
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