This study was to determine whether pregnancy affects maximal aerobic power. We measured heart rate, O2 uptake (VO2), CO2 production (VCO2), and ventilation at rest and during bicycle (BE) and treadmill exercise (TE) tests with rapidly increasing exercise intensities at 16, 25, and 35 wk gestation and 7 wk after delivery. Maximal heart rate was slightly lower throughout pregnancy compared with the nonpregnant state during both BE [174 +/- 2 vs. 178 +/- 2 (SE) beats/min] and TE (178 +/- 2 vs. 183 +/- 2 beats/min). Maximal VO2 was unaffected by pregnancy during BE and TE (2.20 +/- 0.08, 2.16 +/- 0.08, 2.15 +/- 0.08, and 2.19 +/- 0.08 l/min for BE and 2.45 +/- 0.08, 2.38 +/- 0.09, 2.33 +/- 0.09, and 2.39 +/- 0.08 l/min for TE at 16, 25, and 35 wk gestation and 7 wk postpartum, respectively). As a result of increased VO2 at rest, the amount of O2 available for exercise (exercise minus rest) tended to decrease with advancing gestation, reaching statistical significance only during TE at 35 wk gestation (1.99 +/- 0.08 l/min vs. 2.10 +/- 0.08 l/min postpartum). Power showed a positive linear correlation with O2 availability during BE as well as TE, and the relationship was unaffected by pregnancy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
This study was designed to determine the accuracy of estimated values of maximal heart rate (HRmax) and oxygen consumption (VO2) during pregnancy. We measured HR and maximal VO2 (VO2max) at rest and during cycle (CE) and treadmill exercise (TE) tests with rapidly increasing exercise intensities during gestation and after delivery. Pregnancy was found to affect the linear relationship of HR and %VO2max so that the intercept increases with advancing gestation and the slope decreases. Estimated maximal HR (HRmax, est), 220 - age (yr) x beats/min, overestimated measured HRmax by 8% (CE) and 5% (TE). For VO2max estimated by Astrand's nomogram (VO2max, est1) and by linear extrapolation of submaximal values of HR and VO2 to HRmax, est (VO2max, est2), individual errors were large (SD 17-28%). Mean VO2max, est1 overestimated measured VO2max by 20% during CE but not during TE (-2%) and elicited the erroneous impression that VO2max decreases during CE in pregnancy. Mean VO2max, est2 values were not significantly different from measured VO2max values. This apparent accuracy resulted from two opposing errors: 1) HRmax, est overestimated HRmax, and 2) above 70% VO2max the slope of the HR-%VO2max relationship was significantly reduced. Therefore neither method to estimate VO2max can replace the measurement of VO2max.
In pregnancy the uterus and its contents constitute a growing mass of tissue with an increasing need for oxygen and substrates. Muscle activity is associated with an even more dramatic increase in metabolic demands. One might question if the physiological adaptations are adequate to provide for the combined demands of exercise and pregnancy.
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