NCT06039319

Acute Effects of Maternal Exercise and the Growth Restricted Pregnancy

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 40 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 45 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Objectives / Specific Aims * The purpose of this study is to investigate the acute effects of a single bout of moderate intensity maternal exercise on fetal well-being in a pregnancy affected by fetal growth restriction. Fetal well-being will be measured by biophysical profile (BPP), non-stress test (NST) and umbilical artery dopplers. * The hypothesis is that a single bout of maternal exercise will not significantly alter fetal well-being or fetal status.

Detailed description

Background and Significance Regular exercise during pregnancy is beneficial in many ways, including decreased rates of diabetes or hypertensive disorders and decreased risks of preterm birth and cesarean deliveries. Many people use exercise to treat anxiety and depression as well as meet gestational weight gain recommendations. Regular exercise, defined as 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, is recommended in uncomplicated pregnancies. In some summary statements, fetal growth restriction (FGR) is noted as a relative or absolute contraindication to regular exercise. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), however, does not list FGR as a contraindication to maternal exercise. Currently, there are few high-quality studies about the effect of a recommended amount of maternal exercise on acute fetal status in pregnancies affected by FGR. The existing theories conflict. One theory is that maternal exercise will divert blood flow away from the uterus/fetus which could be deleterious in an already compromised pregnancy. The other theory is that exercise increases cardiac output and would therefore increase blood flow to the fetus. A previous study evaluated growth restricted fetuses after a single 5-minute bout of maternal exercise. This study population was heterogenous and used non-standardized measures of fetal assessment, making the results difficult to clinically interpret. In a previous study of healthy pregnancies, 30 minutes of moderate maternal exercise has been determined to have no effect on acute fetal status. The current study seeks to understand the acute fetal response to a single maternal exercise episode in pregnancies affected by FGR.

Conditions

• Fetal Growth Retardation
• Fetal Growth Complications
• Placental Insufficiency

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Physical activity	30 minute bout of moderate intensity physical activity performed on a treadmill

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-11-01
• Primary completion: 2024-06-30
• Completion: 2024-06-30
• First posted: 2023-09-15
• Last updated: 2026-02-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States