Key result
Bicycle exercise fails to alter the umbilical artery systolic-to-diastolic ratio in healthy pregnant women.
Why the study?
Does bicycle exercise to 85% of predicted maximum heart rate alter the systolic-to-diastolic ratio of the umbilical artery waveform in healthy pregnant women?
Observational (n=18)
Does bicycle exercise to 85% of predicted maximum heart rate alter the systolic-to-diastolic ratio of the umbilical artery waveform in healthy pregnant women?
Maternal exercise to 85% of maximum heart rate generally does not significantly alter umbilical artery blood flow, though transient fetal bradycardia may occur in a minority of cases.
Supports moderate exercise without altering umbilical flow in healthy pregnancy; leaves open effects in high-risk cases or on fetal heart rate.
Eighteen healthy pregnant women in the last half of gestation exercised to 85% of their predicted maximum heart rate on a bicycle ergometer. Pulsed Doppler flow studies before the exercise and during the recovery period were taken close to the umbilical artery's placental insertion site. The systolic-to-diastolic ratio (S/D) of the umbilical artery waveform did not change significantly during the period of observation. In three women, however, a significant increase in the S/D ratio occurred in the first few minutes post-exercise; this was due to a transient fetal bradycardia. In one woman, the S/D ratio remained high despite return of a normal fetal heart rate.
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Veille et al. (1989) conducted an observational in Normal pregnancy (n=18). Bicycle exercise vs. Pre-exercise baseline was evaluated on Systolic-to-diastolic ratio (S/D) of the umbilical artery waveform. Bicycle exercise to 85% of predicted maximum heart rate did not significantly change the systolic-to-diastolic ratio of the umbilical artery waveform in healthy pregnant women.
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