January 1, 1989Journal of Applied Physiology
Cardiovascular response to cycle exercise during and after pregnancy
Why the study?
Does pregnancy alter the cardiovascular response to cycle exercise in women?
Population
39 women, mean age 29 +/- 4 years, evaluated during pregnancy and postpartum
Comparison
Submaximal and maximal exercise cycle ergometry… vs Submaximal and maximal exercise cycle ergometry…
Design
Cohort
Follow-up
8 +/- 2 weeks postpartum
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Preserved VO2max with higher antepartum cardiac output supports normal oxygen coupling; leaves open effects on exercise safety or performance.
Key Points
- To determine whether pregnancy alters the maternal cardiovascular response to submaximal and maximal cycle exercise relative to postpartum recovery.
- Thirty-nine women (mean age 29 ± 4 years) completed submaximal and maximal cycle ergometry at 26 ± 3 weeks of gestation (antepartum) and 8 ± 2 weeks postpartum.
- Cardiac output was measured using the acetylene rebreathing technique, alongside assessments of heart rate, stroke volume, oxygen uptake, and arteriovenous oxygen difference.
- Cardiac output was significantly elevated antepartum by an average of 2.2 to 2.8 l/min at rest and across all exercise workloads (P < 0.01), driven by higher heart rate and stroke volume at lower intensities and primarily by stroke volume at higher intensities.
- Maximal oxygen uptake (1.91 ± 0.32 vs. 1.83 ± 0.31 l/min, P > 0.05), maximal heart rate (182 ± 8 vs. 184 ± 7 beats/min, P > 0.05), and the slope of the cardiac output versus oxygen uptake relationship (6.15 ± 1.32 vs. 6.18 ± 1.34 l/min per l/min, P > 0.05) did not differ significantly between pregnancy and postpartum.
- Arteriovenous oxygen difference was consistently lower across exercise workloads during pregnancy compared to postpartum.
Structured PICO
Does pregnancy alter the cardiovascular response to cycle exercise in women?
P
Population
39 women, mean age 29 +/- 4 years, evaluated during pregnancy (antepartum, 26 +/- 3 weeks of gestation) and postpartum (8 +/- 2 weeks)
I
Intervention
Submaximal and maximal exercise cycle ergometry during pregnancy (antepartum)
C
Comparator
Submaximal and maximal exercise cycle ergometry postpartum (8 +/- 2 weeks)
O
Outcome
Cardiovascular response to exercise including maximal O2 uptake (VO2max), maximal heart rate (HR), cardiac output (Q), stroke volume (SV), and arteriovenous O2 differencesurrogate
Pregnancy increases cardiac output at rest and during exercise primarily through increased stroke volume, without altering the coupling of cardiac output to systemic oxygen demand.
Cite This Study
Sady et al. (1989) studied this question.