Exercise in Pregnancy Impacts Fetal Heart Health
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 20:54
OK, I have to admit, after spending all three of my pregnancies either feeling like hell or being on bedrest, exercise and pregnancy are hardly things that go together in my mind. After my reading today though, I guess they should. A small study of women who exercised during pregnancy versus those that did not showed lower fetal heart rates and increased fetal heart rate variability in moms who got the equivalent of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week.
Researchers monitored fetal heart rate using magnetocardiography (MCG) during the second and third trimesters. The results showed statistically significant lowering of the fetal heart rate in moms who exercised at 28, 32 and 36 weeks. The study only included 10 women, so it will need to be repeated, but the take home message at this point is that mom’s who exercise may impart a benefit to their fetuses.
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