Continuing a vigorous weight-bearing exercise regimen during pregnancy appears to be a marker of women who spontaneously maintain this practice over time, resulting in a low cardiovascular risk profile in the perimenopausal period, new study findings indicate.
"The purpose of the current study was to examine (these issues) in a longitudinal study of a cohort of women initially studied serially before, during, and for one year after pregnancy 18-20 years ago," Dr James F. Clapp III writes in the November issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Prior to the index pregnancy, the women ran, cross-country skied, and/or performed aerobics several times a week for at least 30 minutes at each session, at a mean intensity that exceeded 50 per cent of their maximum aerobic capacity.
The analysis included 20 women who continued exercise throughout pregnancy and 19 women who stopped or reduced their exercise volume by at least 75 per cent before the 12th week of pregnancy. The women resumed a regular recreational exercise program by six months postpartum.
However, at the time of the current study, the women who had exercised while pregnant were exercising at 82 per cent of their prepregnancy level, whereas the other women were exercising at about 52 per cent, reports Dr Clapp, from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.
Compared to the women who had decreased exercise during pregnancy, those who maintained exercise while pregnant gained less weight over time (3.4 vs 9.9 kg), deposited less fat (2.2 vs 6.7 kg), and tended to have a higher self-assessed body image.
Those who exercised through pregnancy also had a lower resting heart rate (55 vs 64 beats/minute), lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (93 vs 113 mg/dL), and higher exercise competence as demonstrated by shorter 3km run times.
"Continuing even a low-volume, weight-bearing exercise program," Dr Clapp adds, "has benefit when compared with age-adjusted population norms for weight, weight gain, indices of fat deposition, bone density, cardiopulmonary fitness, cardiovascular function, and cardiovascular/metabolic risk."
Reuters
