Influence of exercise type on maternal blood pressure adaptation throughout pregnancyAJOG Global Reports at a Glance

ABSTRACT Background Ten percent of pregnancies are complicated by a hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Previous research has shown that moderate-vigorous intensity exercise has a positive effect on maternal resting blood pressure. A research gap, however, exists related to how different types of exercise (resistance, aerobic, combined resistance and aerobic) affect maternal blood pressure. The majority of previous studies solely focused on aerobic exercise. Objective The aim of this study is to examine the effects of exercise types on maternal blood pressure throughout pregnancy. Methodology/Study Design This study employed a secondary analysis using data from a randomized controlled prenatal exercise intervention trial. This study utilized 3 exercise intervention groups (aerobic, resistance, combination) in comparison to a non-exercise control group. Participants completed three-50 minute sessions weekly from 16 weeks of gestation until delivery. Maternal vital signs and physical measurements such as systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) blood pressure and heart rate were measured every 4 weeks throughout the intervention period. Between-group mean differences in maternal measures were assessed by Pearson's Chi-Square tests for continuous (age, pre-pregnancy BMI, heart rate, SBP, DBP, pulse pressure) variables. For gravida, exact Wilcox Two-Sample test were performed to determine between-group differences in mean values. Hierarchical linear growth curves were used to estimate maternal trajectories of SBP and DBP from 16 weeks to 36 weeks in each of the four groups (aerobic, combination, control, and resistance). Results There were no differences between groups in maternal age or pre-pregnancy BMI. Controlling for maternal BMI, a significantly lower SBP curve throughout the pregnancy was noted for women who participated in resistance exercise, then aerobic exercise relative to no exercise throughout pregnancy. At 36 weeks, SBP was lower in the resistance group by 12.17 mmHg (p Conclusion Overall, all exercise types were beneficial in lowering maternal resting blood pressure throughout pregnancy. Resistance training was noted to be the most beneficial in improving systolic blood pressure, followed by aerobic exercise. All three exercise groups were noted to improve diastolic blood pressure equally. Further research needs to be done to determine if either resistance or aerobic exercise throughout pregnancy, decreases the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and the associated morbidity and mortality.