Key result
Maternal isometric exercise significantly increased maternal systolic blood pressure and heart rate, but had no significant repercussions on fetal hemodynamics in healthy low-risk pregnant women.
Why the study?
Does maternal isometric exercise alter fetal and maternal hemodynamics in healthy low-risk pregnant women?
Cross-Sectional (n=46)
No
Does maternal isometric exercise alter fetal and maternal hemodynamics in healthy low-risk pregnant women?
Absolute Event Rate: 117.13% vs 113.13%
p-value: p=<0.001
Maternal isometric exercise using a handgrip dynamometer safely increases maternal blood pressure and heart rate without compromising fetal hemodynamics in healthy pregnancies.
Supports consideration of isometric exercise in low-risk pregnancies; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
Background: Studies on physical activity during pregnancy and its impact on mother and fetus are still limited. International protocols consider only aerobic exercise and fail to provide information about other modalities such as isometric exercise. Isometric exercise promotes cardiorespiratory resistance and muscle strengthening, but it is rarely tested on pregnant women because it increases maternal blood pressure and can subsequently affect placental circulation. Objective: To evaluate maternal and fetal response of low-risk pregnant women undergoing isometric testing through a Doppler velocimetry study. Methodology: A cross-sectional, experimental study was performed on 46 healthy pregnant women (gestational age between 26 and 36 weeks) who underwent isometric testing. This testing was performed using a handgrip dynamometer to measure maternal and fetal hemodynamic parameters before, during, and after isometric testing. Results: There was a significant increase in systolic blood pressure (BP; pre-isometrics 113.13 ± 9.92 mmHg, during isometrics 117.13 ± 10.24 mmHg, and post-isometrics 112.43 ± 9.87 mmHg, p 0.001) and heart rate (HR; pre-isometrics 87.52 ± 14.10 bpm, during isometrics 97.61 ± 14.83 bpm, and post-isometrics 85.13 ± 13.24 bpm, p 0.001). There were significant decreases in the pulsatility index (PI; pre-isometrics 0.63 ± 0.15, during isometrics 0.56 ± 0.15, and post-isometrics 0.65 ± 0.17, p = 0.001), resistance index (RI; pre-isometrics 0.44 ± 0.08, during isometrics 0.40 ± 0.07, and post-isometrics 0.45 ± 0.08, p = 0.001), and systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio (pre-isometrics 1.81 ± 0.26, during isometrics 1.69 ± 0.24, and post-isometrics 1.85 ± 0.29, p 0.001) of the left uterine artery (UA). These results showed significant changes only during the isometric exercise, and not between the pre- and post-isometric exercises. There were no significant differences in fetal parameters when the results before, during, and after the isometric test were compared. Conclusion: Isometric testing had no repercussions for fetal hemodynamics in healthy low-risk pregnant women.
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Soares et al. (2018) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy pregnancy (n=46). Isometric exercise vs. Pre-isometric rest was evaluated on Maternal systolic blood pressure (mmHg) (p=<0.001). Maternal isometric exercise significantly increased maternal systolic blood pressure and heart rate, but had no significant repercussions on fetal hemodynamics in healthy low-risk pregnant women.
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