Exercise During Pregnancy Well Tolerated by Both Maternal, Fetal Measures

Both moderate-intensity continuous training exercise and high-intensity interval training found to be safe

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) are safe during pregnancy, according to a study recently published in Sports Medicine.

Jenna B. Wowdzia, from University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues compared maternal and fetal cardiovascular responses to an acute bout of HIIT (10 × 1-minute intervals ≥90 percent maximum heart rate [HR_max]) versus MICT (30 minutes at 64 to 76 percent of HR_max) during pregnancy. The analysis included 15 women with a singleton pregnancy.

The researchers found that during the HIIT session, participants achieved a peak heart rate of 96 HR_max. Increases in maternal cerebral blood velocities were similar between HIIT and MICT for both middle and posterior cerebral artery blood velocities. Similarly, increases in fetal heart rate and decreases in umbilical blood flow were not different between sessions. There were no incidences reported of fetal bradycardia, and umbilical systolic/diastolic ratio, resistive index, and pulsatility index remained within normal ranges both before and immediately after all exercise sessions.

“Maternal participation in an acute bout of high-intensity interval training or moderate-intensity continuous training did not negatively impact fetal heart rate or umbilical blood flow indices,” the authors write.

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