Exercise during the childbearing year

Strength training during pregnancy influences hippocampal plasticity but not body development in neonatal rats

OBJECTIVE

To describe the effects of strength exercise practice during pregnancy on the offspring's development parameters: growth and motor performance, hippocampal neuroplasticity, and stress levels.

METHODS

Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into two groups: sedentary and exercised rats. Exercised pregnant rats were subjected to a strength training protocol (vertical ladder climbing) throughout the gestational period. Male offspring's body weight, length, and head size were evaluated during the neonatal period (postnatal days [P]2-P21), as well as motor milestones during P0-P8. At P8, a set of male pups were subjected to global hippocampal DNA methylation, hippocampal cell proliferation, and plasma corticosterone concentration.

RESULTS

Offspring from trained mothers presented a transient change in body morphometric evaluations, no differences in milestone assessments, enhancement of cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, and decreased global hippocampal DNA methylation compared with the offspring from sedentary mothers. Furthermore, strength training during pregnancy did not change the corticosterone concentration of exercised mothers and their offspring.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that strength training can protect offspring's development and could impact positively on parameters linked to cognitive function. This study provides a greater understanding of the effects of strength exercise practiced during pregnancy on the offspring's health.

Maternal Factors Related to Infant Motor Development at 4 Months of Age

Background: Exercise during pregnancy and breastfeeding after pregnancy both positively influence a number of infant outcomes. However, whether physical activity during late pregnancy and breastfeeding postpartum influence motor development in the offspring at 4 months of age is unknown. Research Aim: The purposes of this study were to investigate the relationships between several important modifiable factors (i.e., maternal physical activity during late pregnancy and breastfeeding after pregnancy) on infant motor development at 4 months of age. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three women-infant pairs participated in this prospective longitudinal study. Maternal physical activity was assessed during late pregnancy with wrist-worn accelerometers for 7 consecutive days. Surveys were provided to determine infant feeding practices and other variables that could influence infant motor development. A pediatric board-certified physical therapist assessed infant motor development at 4 months using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Results: Infants who were exclusively breastfed had the highest motor development percentiles when compared with those whose mothers were supplementing with or using formula exclusively (exclusive breastfeeding: 64.3 ± 20.1, combination of mother's own milk and formula: 43.5 ± 5.0, exclusive formula: 31.5 ± 15.1, p = 0.001). No associations between physical activity levels during late pregnancy and infant motor development percentiles at 4 months were found (sedentary time: r = -0.057, p = 0.75; light activity: r = -0.074, p = 0.68; moderate activity: r = -0.094, p = 0.60). Conclusions: Infants who were exclusively breastfed had higher motor development percentiles at 4 months of age than those infants whose mothers supplemented with or used formula exclusively. Physical activity levels during late pregnancy were not related to infant motor development percentiles, which suggests that physical activities do not appear to be harmful to infant motor development.

A selective review of prenatal exercise guidelines since the 1950s until present: Written for women, health care professionals, and female athletes

BACKGROUND

Traditional society values have long-held the notion that the pregnant woman is construed as a risk to her growing fetus and is solely responsible for controlling this risk to ensure a healthy pregnancy. It is hard to ignore the participation of pregnant women in sport and exercise today, especially in high-level sports and popular fitness programs such as CrossFit™. This challenges both traditional and modern prenatal exercise guidelines from health care professionals and governing health agencies. The guidelines and perceived limitations of prenatal exercise have drastically evolved since the 1950s.

AIM

The goal of this paper is to bring awareness to the idea that much of the information regarding exercise safety during pregnancy is hypersensitive and dated, and the earlier guidelines had no scientific rigor. Research is needed on the upper limits of exercise intensity and exercise frequency, as well as their potential risks (if any) on the woman or fetus.

DISCUSSION

Pregnant women are physically capable of much more than what was once thought. There is still disagreement about the types of exercise deemed appropriate, the stage at which exercise should begin and cease, the frequency of exercise sessions, as well as the optimal level of intensity during prenatal exercise.

CONCLUSION

Research is needed to determine the upper limits of exercise frequency and intensity for pregnant women who are already trained. Healthy women and female athletes can usually maintain their regular training regime once they become pregnant.

Exercise in Pregnancy: A Clinical Review

Context:

Health professionals who care for pregnant women should discuss potential health benefits and harms of exercise. Although most pregnant women do not meet minimal exercise recommendations, there are a growing number of physically active women who wish to continue training throughout pregnancy.

Evidence Acquisition:

A search of the Web of Science database of articles and reviews available in English through 2014. The search terms exercise pregnancy, strenuous exercise pregnancy, and vigorous exercise pregnancy were used.

Study Design:

Clinical review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Results:

With proper attention to risk stratification and surveillance, exercise is safe for the mother and fetus. Benefits of exercise in pregnancy include reduction in Cesarean section rates, appropriate maternal and fetal weight gain, and managing gestational diabetes. Exercise as a means of preventing gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or perinatal depression cannot be reliably supported. Overall, the current evidence suffers from a lack of rigorous study design and compliance with physical activity interventions.

Conclusion:

Research thus far has been unable to consistently demonstrate proposed benefits of exercise in pregnancy, such as preventing gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or perinatal depression. However, moderate- and high-intensity exercise in normal pregnancies is safe for the developing fetus and clearly has several important benefits. Thus, exercise should be encouraged according to the woman’s preconception physical activity level.

Pelvic girdle pain and low back pain in pregnancy: a review

Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and pregnancy-related low back pain (PLBP) are common problems with significant physical, psychological, and socioeconomic implications. There are several management options that are underutilized because of lack of comprehensive knowledge by health-care professionals and fear of harmful effects of treatment on the developing fetus. Interventions such as patient education, the use of pelvic belts, acupuncture, and aquatic and tailored postpartum exercises can be of some benefit to these patients. This article will focus on the diagnosis and management of PGP and PLBP, with discussion of terminology, epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, and prognosis.