Introduction/Objective. The frequency of a sedentary lifestyle during pregnancy increases. This contributes to gestational weight gain and has a negative impact on health. This study researched the impact of prenatal exercise on gestational weight gain, blood pressure, and microcirculation in pregnant women who exercised and those who did not exercise. Methods. The study included seventy pregnant women with a normal pregnancy, who attended a psychophysical preparation program for childbirth for eight weeks. The control group (n=35) attended theoretical classes on childbirth, and the experimental group (n=35) attended prenatal exercises as well. Gestational weight gain, blood pressure, and nailfold capillary density were determined and compared between the two groups. Results. Gestational weight gain of 19.94 kg in non-exercising pregnant women was significantly greater than the gestational weight gain of 11.65 kg in pregnant women who exercised. Pregnant women who did not exercise had an increase in systolic (by 15.56 mmHg) and diastolic pressure (by 16.08 mmHg), which is significantly higher compared to pregnant women who exercised. In this group, systolic pressure increased by 2.5 mmHg, while diastolic did not change. A significant difference in the nailfold capillary density at the end of the prenatal program has not been determined. Conclusion. Prenatal exercise of moderate-intensity has a positive effect on gestational weight gain and the level of blood pressure in pregnant women. The nailfold capillary density has not differed significantly after the prenatal program in pregnant women who have exercised and in those who have not.
Background/Aim: With an increase in cardiac output, blood pressure values in pregnancy increase. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of prenatal exercises on the circulatory parameters and the correlation between blood pressure and nailfold capillary parameters in healthy pregnant women. Methods: The blood pressure shape and length of nailfold capillary were assessed in 35 non-exercising pregnant women and 35 pregnant women who exercised, at the beginning of the study (between 20 and 32 gestational week) and the end of the study (28 - 40 gestational week). Results: The elevation in blood pressure was significantly lower in pregnant women who exercised in relation to non-exercising pregnant women. After eight weeks, the length of the capillary loops was increased by 30 µm and the number of pregnant women with pronounced shape changes of capillary loops increased, with no difference between the groups. Non-exercisers had a correlation between the change in diastolic pressure and the increase in capillary length (r = 0.53, p = 0.001). In the experimental group, the correlation between the change in blood pressure and the increase in the length of capillary loops was not determined. Conclusion: Prenatal physical activity had a beneficial impact on the circulation of pregnant women. In pregnant women in the third trimester, after eight weeks of follow-up, the length of the nailfold capillary loops and the presence of pronounced shape changes of capillary loops were increased, without difference between exercisers and non-exercisers. In non-exercising pregnant women, the capillary length was increased with the elevation of diastolic blood pressure, while the correlation was not found in pregnant women who exercised.
In pregnancy physical activity is considered as a preventive measure for diseases of the cardiovascular system. In studies, the data on microvascular adaptation in pregnancy are scarce. The prenatal program included 35 pregnant women who exercised and 35 women who did not. The shape of the capillaries of the nail skin fold was analyzed with capillaroscopy. At the beginning of the study, the shape of the capillary was normal in all pregnant women. After 8 weeks in 40.91% of pregnant women who exercised and in 47.06% of pregnant women who did not exercise, the shape of the capillary loop was abnormal with bending of the limbs, tortuosity of the limbs, and crossing of the limbs. After the 8th week of the prenatal program, no significant difference in the shape of the capillary loop of the nail skin fold was found between pregnant women who performed prenatal exercises and pregnant women who did not.
INTRODUCTION / OBJECTIVE Pregnant women were not recommended to exercise because there was a risk of preterm delivery. Prenatal exercise however may reduce the risk of preterm delivery by other mechanisms such as reduced oxidative stress or improved placental vascularization. Given that the number of cesarean deliveries is growing and that a moderate-intensity physical activity can have a beneficial effect on mother and fetus, it is necessary to determine the frequency of delivery with pregnant women who performed prenatal exercises and those who did not exercise. METERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty pregnant women participated in the study (n = 120). Pregnant women who attended only the theoretical part were included in the control group (n = 59). By joining the experimental group, pregnant women (n = 61) participated in both the theoretical part and prenatal exercises. We followed each participant for 8 weeks, which is the duration of one cycle of psychophysical preparation. RESULT: In the group where pregnant women practiced prenatal exercises, vaginal deliveries predominate, almost twice as many as cesarean births. On the other hand, in the group where pregnant women did not exercise there is a slight decrease in the frequency of vaginal deliveries, with a tendency to equalize the results because there is an evident increase in the cesarean sections in that group. The application of the chi-square test did not determine the presence of a statistically significant difference in terms of delivery between the group of pregnant women who practiced prenatal exercises and those who did not. CONCLUSION: Prenatal exercise of moderate intensity has a positive impact on the type of delivery. Although no statistically significant difference was observed between pregnant women who exercised and those who did not, there is a tendency for an increase in vaginal delivery in pregnant women who performed prenatal exercise.
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